The Straw Hat Ghoul
by Zeldro
Summary: A power awakens inside of Ken Kaneki which ultimately connects two universes: The One Piece universe and the Tokyo Ghoul universe. Kaneki, Touka, and their friends end up in Loguetown around the time Luffy and the gang arrive there. Follow Kaneki and his ghoul friends get accustomed to this new universe and rise to infamy alongside the Straw Hat Pirates.
1. 0 - Prologue

**A/N: It is time for a new story. This one, as you can tell, is a crossover between One Piece and Tokyo Ghoul, and will be written in third person POV. This will not be a side project like Sword Art Online Restarted; instead, I plan on posting chapters as quick as I do with To Hyrule and Back Again. I hope you enjoy!**

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 ** _Prologue_**

In the multiverse, if two universes' timelines are running side by side, it is relatively easy to connect them. However, if there is no spark, the flame cannot be spread; therefore, two of these universes have not made contact… _yet._

One universe is very much like ours in which there is modern technology, modern transportation, modern… Well, modern everything. The only difference is there are these beings that terrorize the humans known as "ghouls." We shall call this the _Tokyo Ghoul_ universe.

The other is a bizarre world, completely different from ours. Strange powers originating from strange fruits bring a whole new layer of danger and adventure to this world, and a corrupt world government as well as pirates constantly fighting for power only add to that. We shall call this the _One Piece_ universe, named after the treasure one of the more notorious pirates left behind before his death.

Both universes contrast sharply; yet, they are so close together. All it takes to connect the two is the right power, and a little bit of will and determination…

...which brings us to a ghoul named Ken Kaneki. At one point of his recently changed-for-the-worse life, one of his enemies captures him and tortures him, and Kaneki's fellow ghoul friends fight for his life. After hours of excruciating pain, he can no longer take it anymore, and something awakens inside of him; this, in turn, is the spark needed to connect the _Tokyo Ghoul_ and _One Piece_ universes.

Around this time in the One Piece timeline, a pirate group destined to rise to infamy is approaching a town known as Loguetown. They are known as the Straw Hat Pirates, led by their captain, Monkey D. Luffy. This is the town where Kaneki and the Straw Hat pirates will meet, and where all else near Kaneki in the _Tokyo Ghoul_ universe will fall to.

That town is where it all starts… where two worlds begin to come together as one, and where a new chapter in Kaneki's life, as well as his ghoul friends' lives, comes about. In that town…

is where the rise of the Straw Hat Ghoul begins.

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 **A/N: 'Twas a short prologue, but it's all I needed. I plan on having the first real chapter out soon, but I first want to finish character descriptions and map out what's going to happen in further detail. Thanks for reading!**


	2. 1 - New Sea

**A/N: If anybody is willing to betaread this story, _please_ let me know.**

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 _ **The Straw Hat Ghoul**_

 _ **Rosine Archipelago Saga**_

 _ **Thunder Island arc**_

 **Chapter One: New Sea**

In the sea of East Blue resides a city known as Loguetown. This city is where most pirates go before they set off for the Grand Line; they stock up on supplies, have a drink, and usually go to see where the infamous Gol D. Roger was executed. Naturally, the Straw Hat pirates are headed there as well.

The wind is calm, the air is warm, and the sky's as clear as can be; nothing seems particularly "off," yet all marines stationed in the city are still on their toes. Their "anything can happen" mindset has been underestimated by countless pirates aching to explore the Grand Line. They'll be travelling for weeks from their home, and just before they enter their dream sea suddenly a Vice Admiral has them in cuffs.

A plethora of shops span the streets of the city, and merchants stand on every corner trying to sell their items; though discouraged by the World Government, plenty of stores sell gear intended for pirates passing through. A portion of pirates attempt to raid the city and fail miserably, but those pirate shops are paid off when those that _don't_ mindlessly attack arrive. The Straw Hats, with the occasional exception of Monkey D. Luffy, are the latter type.

In one of the more crowded sections of the town, a purple hole-like object appears in the air. Suddenly, multiple people come falling out of it, and crash onto the concrete ground. One of these people is Ken Kaneki, AKA Eyepatch, and another is Touka Kirishima, AKA Rabbit. They immediately rise to their feet and scan their surroundings; they see nothing but many random people giving them looks of fright and bewilderment.

 _What did I do?_ thinks Kaneki. _It felt… It felt as if I caused all of this…_

Kaneki has been falling in a void for a little over an hour by himself, and finally arrived in the _One Piece_ universe with his friends just now. It takes him several moments to comprehend the situation. His hair is bleach-white, there's blood covering multiple parts of his body, and there's a noticeable tear in his trademark eyepatch. Touka appears roughed-up as well, as does everyone else in the group.

A few minutes later, Vice Admiral Smoker arrives on the scene to investigate all of the commotion. His entire body can turn into smoke at his whim; he's one of the more powerful Devil's Fruit users, and catches pirates before they enter the Grand Line almost every other day. At least one cigar is in his mouth at all times; he has white hair, a buff body, and sports a white Marine coat. His sudden appearance initially does not phase the people from the _Tokyo Ghoul_ universe, but once he clutches the ghoul Nishiki with his powers, all else make a break for it, including Kaneki.

The words "what did I do" echo through Kaneki's mind as he sprints through the Loguetown streets, and the words "is this a dream" echo through Touka's. The two separate; Touka heads north, towards the Marine base, and Kaneki heads southwards, to the harbor. None of them think about each other. None of them know where they are. None of them realize that mindlessly running away from each other can ultimately be their undoings.

The little ghoul girl, Hinami, eventually finds Touka, and they hide in an alley; Nishiki struggles against Smoker but manages to stand his ground with his kagune; and the other miscellaneous ghouls and ghoul hunters are frantically running about. Some destroy their surroundings in fear and confusion, while others hide in secluded areas. Kaneki does neither of those things - part of him thinks this is a dream and he's still being tortured, but another thinks he opened some kind of portal to another world, which is precisely what happened. _How_ he did it he knows not, and quite frankly he cares not.

Loguetown erupts into chaos. The ghoul hunters are chasing after the ghouls and demolishing everything in their way. The marines are desperately trying to fix the situation, but nothing good comes their way. Nishiki escapes from Smoker after figuring out he's entirely different from normal humans, and Touka and Hinami escape the commotion. For once, it's _before_ the Straw Hats arrive that chaos ensues.

Then, the Straw Hats arrive. Luffy jumps out of the boat to see what's going down and the rest of the crew dart after him in attempt to calm him down; a couple of the marines notice he's Straw Hat Luffy with a 30 million beli bounty, and they inform Smoker. Smoker does not take significant action after he confronts Luffy once; he instead orders his troops to pull back and let the situation handle itself - let the fighting end, per se.

"Luffy!" Nami yells out. "Luffy, stop!"

"But _LOOK!_ " he responds. A ghoul hunter using his kagune-like Quinque fiercely tries to capture one of the ghouls let out into the _One Piece_ world, and, from Luffy's point of view, that's _awesome._ To him, it looks like there's octopus tentacles coming out of a suitcase a guy's holding, and he's fighting a guy with octopus tentacles growing out of his back.

"Luffy!" Nami cries out. "Just come on! We're not staying here!"

Luffy turns around. "B-b-but… This is where Gold Roger was executed! I've _gotta_ see it!"

"I DON'T CARE! You promised me you wouldn't get into a fight here, and it looks like that's impossible right now..."

Luffy sighs.

"Alright, let's go. But the _moment_ we've made a lap around the Grand Line, we're comin' to this damn city!"

Kaneki has already boarded the Straw Hat Pirates' ship, the Going Merry, and is trying to figure out how to sail away. But once the Straw Hats reach their ship, Kaneki is forced to hide inside one of the Merry's rooms. He sits behind a stack of crates in the darkness, thoughts of everything that's happening rushing through his mind… He hears people on deck, shouting about, and feels the ship start moving.

Then, the image of Touka appears in his mind. He realizes he's left her behind in that chaotic city with all of those ghoul hunters…

"…What do you mean, 'monsters?'" a voice confusingly shouts from the Den Den Mushi. A bewildered marine, trying to describe just what's happening in Loguetown, was just ordered by Smoker to contact a World Government official.

"I don't know if it's a Devil's Fruit, but… A ton of people showed up and started fighting each other with… with these octopus tentacle things, and all of these other bizarre powers!" the marine shouts.

"Smoker's stationed in Loguetown, correct?"

"C-correct."

"Then why the hell isn't he taking care of this?"

"I-I don't know! He just told us all to pull back and let them 'fight it out!'"

"Then let them 'fight it out,' as he said. If these monsters actually become problems _then_ that's when you call me."

"Y-yes sir!" the marine shouts in response.

The Going Merry, with Kaneki as a stowaway, heads for the Reverse Mountain which leads into the Grand Line, and the rest of the ghouls and ghoul hunters have a ceasefire to have time to figure out where they are. Meanwhile, Smoker releases the marines back into the city to bring order back. Everything returns to normal in a few hours. The ghoul hunters regroup in a section of town, and Nishiki finds Touka and Hinami in a secluded alleyway, away from trouble.

"This is bullshit!" shouts Nishiki. "What- where are we?"

Touka slaps him. "Don't say that in front of Hinami. I don't know where we are, either."

"Ow!" Nishiki blurts out, then sighs. "Wherever we are… It's giving me bad vibes. Did you see the guy that I fought?"

"The smoke-guy? Yeah. I did."

"I've… I've never seen anything like it. His body, like… was made out of smoke. My kagune was practically useless. That bastard..."

"Alright, let's not ponder over that. What are we going to do until we know exactly where we are and what the _hell_ got us here?"

"This seems to be an island, so… Let's get a ship and sail out of here for a bit. Maybe find some kind of map."

"A -" Touka stutters. "A ship? You mean, like-"

"Yes, a wooden, old-type ship. You seen the harbor? Tons of them out there."

"What the hell… O-okay. Let's get out of here."

Hinami speaks up. "What about Kaneki?"

Touka's eyes widen. She's been so caught up in everything that's happened she'd forgotten about… _him._

"What? Have you - have you _seen him_?"

"Yes," Hinami replies. "He ran away when the smoke-guy attacked."

"That idiot… Where could he have gone?" Touka contemplates. "Maybe… is he still in the city?"

"Hinami," Nishiki says. "What direction was Kaneki running?"

"He ran directly away from the smoke-guy."

"The harbor… That's where the harbor is. Hurry! Let's go!" he shouts, and the three set off.

 **. . .**

"TO THE GRAND LINE!" Luffy shouts. The Straw Hats are currently riding up the Reverse Mountain, and Kaneki's freaking out. The ship zooms up the mountain on what feels like an almost mythical current. The water is flowing _up_ the mountain instead of down, and since Kaneki can see all of this through a window in the Going Merry, he truly thinks he's lost his mind. Luffy is the only one excited; the rest of the crew, as well as Kaneki, are scared for their lives.

There's the swordsman, Zoro, who's leaning against the mast, and is usually indifferent towards situations like this, but right now, he's a bit frightened. He has green hair, uses a three-sword fighting style, and wants to be the best swordsman in the entire _One Piece_ world.

After that is Nami. She's the ship's navigator, so naturally she's trying to control the situation, but Nami is the one screaming the loudest. Her goal in life is the make a map of the world - the _One Piece_ world, that is. If she ever were to find out the existence of _other_ worlds, she'd be the first one to explore it.

Following those two is Usopp; he's a… well, _peculiar_ fellow. He's the ship's marksman, and uses a slingshot as his weapon - though he's one of the weakest, he's also one of the most resourceful, and usually has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. He also likes to trick people into thinking he's very powerful. He wears goggles and has fluffy-ish black hair, and his goal in life is to simply become a brave warrior of the sea.

Then, there's Sanji. He's the ship's cook. His defining trait is that he's infatuated with nearly every woman on the planet, and that's also his greatest weakness. He'll never hurt a lady. His kicks are very strong and can easily knock out an ordinary person; he has blond hair, is tall, and usually wears a black suit. His wish is to find a mythical sea called "All Blue," where many fish from all five of the world's seas (North, West, East, and South Blue, as well as the Grand Line) live.

Monkey D. Luffy is their captain, for better or worse. He wears his trademark Straw Hat given to him by his hero, and has the power of the Gomu Gomu fruit - his body is made of rubber, allowing him to stretch endlessly. His dream is to become the Pirate King, and entering the Grand Line, just as he is right now, is the first step to becoming just that.

Of course, there's _much_ more to it than that.

"LUFFY!" Usopp shouts. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO HAPPY AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!"

Luffy laughs. "We're going to the Grand Line! How can I _not_ be happy?"

"You're a madman, Luffy," he chuckles in response. "This can't be good for the Merry, though…"

"Merry'll be fine," Luffy reassures him.

As the Going Merry zooms up the Reverse Mountain and the Red Line, which acts as the wall that separates the east portion of the _One Piece_ world from the west, water crashes onto the deck and almost causes Sanji to fly off of the ship. Once they reach the top of the mountain, the Merry goes flying upwards, and for a few seconds the ship is in midair. It crashes back onto the current rushing down the side of the mountain, and they further push towards the Grand Line.

"This is awesome!" Luffy shouts. "Ever since I was a kid… This… I've been waiting for this!"

Zoro smiles. "We've got a long way to go, captain. But, I guess, we made it this far, so we're not doing half bad..."

Sanji chimes in by remarking, "This is pretty cool, I've got to admit…" He lights his cigar just after water splashes onto his face.

 _Who are these people?_ Kaneki internally questions. He's helplessly quivering in the back of the ship, pondering over whether or not he's in reality. " _Pirate King…" "Grand Line…" Just where did I end up?_

He undos his ghoul mask and puts on his regular, white eyepatch. The mask is thrown to the side; the tear in the eye portion of his mask is still there. He thinks of home; he hasn't seem his home in quite awhile, as before he entered the _One Piece_ universe he was being held captive by a certain enemy. His fellow ghoul friends were fighting to rescue him before the portal opened.

 _This is a bizarre place… At least… At least ghouls aren't the outliers. In a place like this… strange is probably the norm. Now that I think about it, that smoke-guy Nishiki fought wasn't even phased by his ghoul powers, he just, well… fought him. Like he sees that kind of stuff all of the time. Heh, that's not too bad._

 _Oh, what am I saying? I've royally fucked up. Somehow, I made a connection to whatever this place is and all of my friends I wanted to protect got dragged along with me. Even Hinami… Why she was even close to the portal I have no clue, but at the very least I hope Touka is looking after her._

 _I guess I'll just embrace the crazy, like I did when I first got my ghoul powers._

Those three words, "embrace the crazy," are what keeps Kaneki's sanity intact during the journey that lies ahead of him.

"...I checked that side of the harbor, no sign of him."

Touka sighs. "What're we going to do then, Nishiki?" She sits on the edge of the dock, dangling her legs above the water. Contrasting to how it was earlier, dark clouds lie above the small group; setting sail is probably not a good idea for them at that moment.

"Well, do you think he just stole a ship or something?" he questions. "Well, no, actually, he's probably too stupid to figure out how to maneuver one of these ships."

"You're right," Touka replies. "And anyway, he's probably curled up in a ball somewhere in the city. What are we even doing out here?"

Nishiki laughs. "I don't really know…"

Touka looks to the ground for a moment.

"Well… Let's get going, I guess. He's probably panicking right now, it's best if he doesn't cause any trouble."

Ah, but what Touka knows not is that he is already far off from Loguetown and entering a sea filled with trouble. Speaking of…

"Who are _you?_ "

Kaneki slowly backs into the back of the room. It is none other than Sanji, standing at the doorway, asking who he is. Kaneki tries to reply, only to stumble over his words and shake uncontrollably.

"I'm gonna ask one more time. Who are you? How did you get on this ship?" Sanji demands. His face grows more impatient, and Kaneki's grows more frightened.

 _If this guy was a regular human, I could beat him right now… But, he might have some strange power like that smoke-guy. I guess I won't cause trouble._

"I-uh… I didn't… I had nowhere else to go."

"Huh?"

"It's a… long story, see, I'm…"

Kaneki hangs his head down and sighs.

"I have no idea where I am."

Kaneki realizes the stillness of the boat he's in; the Going Merry is now off of the Reverse Mountain current and in the Grand Line. It's docked at a place known as Twin Cape, and the rest of the crew are out talking with a certain man the resides at the cape. Sanji was the one put in charge of guarding the ship.

"So, you… what, decided to hitch a ride on our ship? Do you know where we're going?" Sanji questions. He walks closer to Kaneki and squats down in front of him.

"Sort-of, and no… See, don't hate me for this, but I tried…" Kaneki sighs. "I tried to steal your ship but you guys got back before I figured out how to do so. Listen… I don't want to cause trouble. I don't know where I am, I don't know where my friends are, and right now… I just don't know anything."

Kaneki stands up.

"Sorry to cause you trouble."

Just before Kaneki begins walking for the doorway, Luffy appears. He opens the door and scares the living hell out of Kaneki.

"Huh? Who's this?" Luffy asks.

"Stowaway. Must've gotten on our ship back in Loguetown. I think he was just leaving, though."

Luffy walks closer to him, intrigued. He scratches his chin in curiousity.

"A stowaway? Why?"

Kaneki stutters, "I just… wanted a ride, I don't want to cause trouble."

"Actually, he was intending to steal our ship before we got back," Sanji says.

Luffy frowns. Kaneki flinches, expecting the boy in front of him to retaliate; instead, Luffy asks, "That wouldn't have been good. The Going Merry's our nakama! We can't have some stranger taking it from us."

Luffy regains his usual cheerful personality and struts closer to a bewildered Kaneki.

"Say, what's your name?" Luffy asks him.

"K-ken Kaneki."

"Ken Kaneki, where ya from?"

"...Tokyo?"

"Cool! Never heard of it. Anyway, do you want to... join our crew and turn the world upside down with us?"

Sanji shouts, "Oi, Luffy! What the hell do you think you're doing? You can't just go inviting random people! It's like you said, he's a stranger, and he tried to steal our ship!"

Kaneki stares at Luffy with a blank face. What just happened doesn't register with him for a few moments, and even after that he's still confused. He tried to steal their ship and was hiding in one of the ship's rooms, now he's being invited to join their crew? To Kaneki, this must _really_ be a weird world.

"Nah, Sanji. I have a good feeling about this one. And look! He's got cool white hair, but he's young! Not like Smokey. I like his mask, too."

 _White hair... What is he talking about?_

Luffy continues. "Ken! What are you good at?"

"What?" Kaneki confusingly replies.

"Simple. What are you good at?"

"He probably means how can you help out on this ship," Sanji remarks.

Kaneki thinks. "Uhh…"

 _Ships… Old-time… No, wait… Guard man. No, that's stupid. Uh… I can clean?_

"Janitor?"

"Alright! It's settled! Ken Kaneki is our janito-what's a janitor?"

"Cleans stuff."

"...you keep our ship clean?"

"He could be the busboy. Does the oddjobs," Sanji suggests. "Maybe wash the dishes 'n stuff."

 _What the hell…?_

"Doesn't Usopp already do that?" Luffy questions.

"Technically, yeah, but he's also the marksman. This way, he'll keep watch with the cannons longer," Sanji explains.

"Alright, it's settled! Kaneki's our busboy!" Luffy shouts. "Let's go tell the crew!"

And the three head out to the main deck of the Going Merry where Nami is just making her way back onto the ship.

"LUFFY!" Nami shouts. "What-how-who is this?!"

Nami jumps from the land of the Twin Cape to the Going Merry and lands on the wooden floor. Kaneki steps back in anticipation of trouble but instead the girl starts yelling at Luffy. He notices her appearance: medium-length orange hair, a white shirt with a few blue stripes, and some kind of compass watch.

"NAMI-SWAN!" Sanji happily shouts. "Did you miss me?"

Nami ignores him. "Nevermind, there's something more important. You see this?"

Nami holds up her "compass watch," as Kaneki called it. Luffy nods as he studies it.

"This is a log pose. We need this to travel the Grand Line, alright? We can't use regular compasses."

Luffy nods again, and walks off to the land of the Twin Cape. There's a baby whale that lives there, named Laboon, and also an old man.

"Sanji."

"Yes, Nami-san?" he quickly replies, eager to talk to her.

"Who is this?" Nami asks. She's referring to Kaneki.

"Oh. This is Kaneki, our new… busboy."

"...what? Where did he come from?"

"HE CAME FROM LOGUETOWN!" Luffy shouts from the other side of the ship.

"Isn't Usopp our busboy?"

"I'M NOT A BUSBOY!" shouts Usopp as he jumps back onto the ship with an apple in his hand. "I'm the marksman!"

 _Another one,_ Kaneki thinks.

"Wait-who's this?" Usopp questions. Zoro appears behind him, and he seems to be ready for trouble. Kaneki flinches at the sight of Zoro clutching one of his swords.

"He's Kaneki from Loguetown, and apparently he's our busboy," Sanji informs. "I found him curled up in our main room."

"Wait just a second," Zoro says. "So we're going to let some stranger be apart of our crew? God dammit."

"Guys, I didn't even mean to get on thi-"

"Shut it." Zoro hops down and glares at Kaneki. "Don't try anything, okay, busboy?"

Zoro knows that once Luffy's decided on a new crew member there's nothing he can do to stop it. He thinks, _This guy could be bad news,_ but then again, Luffy's never chosen wrongly about new nakama. All of the Straw Hats eventually hop back on deck and talk.

"So, the old guy gave us the compass watch, right?" Luffy asks.

"It's not a compass watch, it's a log pose. And yes. Also, he gave us an eternal pose."

"The hell's an eternal pose?"

"I'll get to that - anyway, how a log pose works is that it will point in the direction of the next Grand Line island, and once we reach that island we have to let it 'set,' giving it time to adjust its path to point to the next island. Luffy, did you get all that?"

"What?" Luffy asks. "Sorry, I was thinking about that whale back at the cape."

Nami slaps him. "Aren't you the captain?"

"Yes!"

"Then pay attention!"

"Okay!"

Nami explains it again and Luffy dozes off again. She gives up trying to tell him and instead makes sure the rest of the crew knows what's going on. She explains the eternal pose, which forever points in the direction of a certain island - this one being "Thunder Island."

From this point forward, the Straw Hats have another member. As they begin to set sail for Thunder Island, one of the many first Grand Line islands, Kaneki sits on the side of the ship and lets his legs dangle off. He looks forward at the sea all around him, as well as Twin Cape gradually disappearing off to the right. Kaneki knows Touka and his other friends are out there somewhere, but begins to question whether or not he'll see them again; he thinks, _these seem like alright people, maybe they'll let me have time to look for them. For now, I guess I'll be their… "busboy."_

 _In this new… world, with a new sea, and new people with new powers… It's much different here. I guess I'll go along with it for now. The portal to my world is closed, without a doubt, and even if it's somehow still open there's probably a ton of people guarding it._

In the sea of East Blue is Touka, Nishiki, and Hinami. They've given up on looking for Kaneki and are convinced he's on some ship sailing out in an unknown direction. Touka keeps questioning people if they've seen him, but she does not know he now has white hair, so her description of him is false. After hearing that Loguetown is usually the city people stop by before entering the Grand Line, she decides to find a ship and head for this "Grand Line." The trio, like Kaneki, boards a random ship, and, before they can figure out how to maneuver the ship, the ship's crew is back.

Unlike Kaneki, they boarded a marine ship; that marine ship is headed straight for the Grand Line. And also unlike Kaneki, the crew on that ship isn't looking for new members, nor are they as friendly to random stowaways.

In this new sea known as the Grand Line, the Straw Hat Pirates will rise to infamy, and Kaneki will be there right alongside them. Gradually, ghouls will become known throughout the world of _One Piece_ and the _Tokyo Ghoul_ world will begin to affect _One Piece_ more and more each day. Touka will search for Kaneki as her name spreads across the world, and Kaneki will think of her every day as well. Luffy will make many, many enemies but also make just as many allies. They'll find new crew members, "nakama" as they call it.

Eventually, the name "Straw Hat Ghoul" will resonate throughout the world, and that name will go down in history alongside Straw Hat Luffy.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. Their adventure is just beginning.

And it all starts with Thunder Island.

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 **A/N: Like all of my stories, this first chapter starts slowly, and no major plot points or new character introductions have taken place. I've planned out the first saga and am currently revising the first arc, so stay tuned for the coming chapters.**

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 **twitter: byzeldro**

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	3. 2 - Windy Days

**Chapter Two: Windy Days**

Kaneki was strapped to a chair in a dimly lit, large room. It was a truly terrifying experience; his tormenter would cut off his toes with a pair of pliers, let them regrow, and tear them off again, and again, and again. He couldn't take it. Things were looking grim for Kaneki and his friends who were desperately trying to fight their way inside to save him. Then, it happened - his _power_ awakened. In that moment, his hair turned completely white, and a portal was formed over him. It began sucking every person within a hundred yards into it. That was when Kaneki, along with everyone else lucky enough to be near the portal, entered the path to the _One Piece_ universe.

Kaneki tries to block these horrible memories from his mind as he looks at himself in the mirror. He studies his white hair, wondering what made it that color all of a sudden. He's still wearing his white eyepatch, even though he doesn't seem to be craving to eat anything; his mask is stuffed inside a bag given to him by Luffy.

 _I wonder what everyone else is doing,_ he thinks.

He remembers the coffee shop he worked at - _Anteiku._ Thoughts of Touka scolding him for the littlest reasons come to mind, as well as teaching Hinami new words to go in her vocabulary notes. He thinks of the time Yoshimura, the store's manager (also the kind fellow who took him in), taught him how to brew coffee. Kaneki treasures these memories, despite initially disliking it; turning into a ghoul is what brought about these memories.

For about a day the "one-eyed ghoul" has resided in the Going Merry with the Straw Hat Pirates. They're headed for Thunder Island, which should take another day or two to reach. Nothing big has happened since the day Kaneki arrived in the _One Piece_ universe. The same, however, cannot be said for Touka and the others.

Touka, Nishiki, and Hinami are hiding in the closet of a marine warship that stopped by Loguetown earlier. They were spotted not too long ago, and the entire ship knows of their presence; they know not, however, the kind of powers the three ghouls have. The warship was originally intending to pick up Vice Admiral Smoker and bring him to a country known as Alabasta in the Grand Line, but he chose to stay behind after the ghouls and ghoul hunters caused havoc in the city.

The three ghouls, confident no marines can hear them, begin talking.

"What are we going to do about food?" Touka asks.

Nishiki chuckles. "There's food all over this ship."

Hinami flinches; the brown-haired, small girl has never eaten a human killed for the sake of food, rather she usually lives off of the food provided by Anteiku, which gathers suicide victims.

"...are we going to have to eat them?" Hinami asks.

Touka stares blankly into the darkness of the closet. "We might have to resort to that… In any case, we need to get off of this ship before they catch us, or else they'll target us."

"Are you kidding me, Touka? These guys are all small fry. Now, unless there's another smoke-guy or someone else with weird powers aboard this ship, yeah, we might be in a bind, but so far there's no other reason not to. We could take them on and have a _shit ton_ of food!"

"We are _not_ going to slaughter everyone on this ship, asshole," Touka demands.

"Hey! You can't say that in front of Hinami!" Nishiki sarcastically replies. Touka sighs.

"Alright, Touka. Let's say we sneak past everyone and get to the edge of the ship. What are we supposed to do, jump off? Swim to some island?"

"What the hell do you suggest, then, Nishiki?"

"I already told you. Kill everyone onboard and take control of the ship. Simple!"

"And _I_ already told you that's out of the question!"

"Then how? You're denying all of my ideas and only spewing out garbage ones. Be a little open minded, Touka."

"Not wanting to go on a killing spree is not close-minded. Maybe…"

Touka thinks for a moment.

"Nishiki, do you have a mask?"

"No."

"Then you two will have to stay here," Touka says, standing up.

"What are you going to do?" Nishiki asks.

Touka puts on her rabbit mask and hood.

"Maybe… I could take the ship hostage and force them to take us to a certain island, and not have to kill anyone. Sound good?"

"Fine. My idea's still better, though."

Back on the Going Merry, nothing out of the ordinary is happening; Zoro's taking a nap, Usopp's keeping a lookout, Sanji is cooking lunch, and Luffy, Nami, and Kaneki are sitting near the front of the ship. Luffy's sitting on his seat, which is the head of the Going Merry. Nothing but the blue ocean can be seen in all four directions, and the sky's as clear as can be.

"Say, Nami, do you know about this Thunder Island we're headed towards?" Luffy curiously asks.

"Not too much," she replies. "The old guy from Twin Cape says it's been taken over by some strong guy, and the World Government hasn't dealt with it yet."

"What comes after Thunder Island?"

"Uh… He said a group of islands called Rosine Archipelago, I know nothing about them."

"Ah," he replies in acknowledgement. "Oh yeah, Ken!"

"It's K-kaneki."

"Kaneki!"

"Yes?"

"Where's that cool mask at?"

Kaneki pulls it out from the bag on his back. Luffy, somehow intrigued by the mask, stretches his arm and snatches it from Kaneki's hand. Kaneki does a double take, looks at Luffy, then Nami, and asks, bewildered, "What just happened?"

Nami laughs. "You didn't know?"

Luffy stretches his cheek out with his hand. "I'm a rubberman!" he exclaims. "I'm made of rubber. You saw the smokey guy at Loguetown, right?"

"R-right."

"I'm like him, except instead of smoke I'm rubber. So, about this mask… Why don't you wear it?"

"I only wear it when I need to conceal my identity," Kaneki replies.

"You should wear it more often! It looks cool."

Nami, who hasn't been partaking in the conversation, has been paying attention to the wind. Right now, it's silent - _too silent._ That's not a good thing when you're on a bizarre sea like the Grand Line. Then, out of nowhere, a gust of wind pushes through, and Luffy's hat goes flying off. He immediately panics and starts running after it.

"Luffy!" Nami shouts. "Don't fall into the water!"

Luffy, running on the edge of the Going Merry, chases after his trademark straw hat, and stretches his arm out to it, and barely reaches it. Just before he grabs it, he loses his balance and almost falls off of the ship, but Nami grabs him just in time. She slaps him.

"Luffy! Be more careful, dammit!" she scolds him.

"But my hat was about to fly away, what was I supposed to do?"

Nami sighs as she pulls him on deck. "I don't know, that's your problem. Why don't you tie a string to it or something?"

"Hey! That's a good idea!" Luffy excitedly agrees. "I actually had a string attached to it a long time ago. It came in handy."

Nami finds some string in the Going Merry storage, brings it back along with a needle, and begins sewing. The three continue talking.

"That hat…" Kaneki starts, "is it important?"

"Yeah," Luffy replies.

"Why?"

"Someone important gave it to me a long time ago."

"Shanks, right?" Nami asks. Luffy excitedly nods his head and smiles.

"I wonder how he is right now…" Luffy wonders.

"So, you guys have any family?" Kaneki asks. "I'm not really much of a family person myself…"

Luffy's expression changes from happy to neutral. He stares off blankly.

Nami replies, "Yeah, uh, I have a sister back in East Blue, and the people there are pretty much my family."

Nami turns her head to Luffy to see if he's going to reply, and then asks, "What about you, Luffy?"

"Uh… I don't know my mom or my dad, I don't like my granddad, I had two brothers."

"Had?" Kaneki asks.

Luffy looks up again. "One of them… isn't here anymore. But, my other brother is so cool! He set sail three years before I did, and could beat me in a fight even though he didn't have any Devil's Fruit powers! Hopefully I'll see him one day."

"Devil's Fruit?"

"It's what gives them the weird powers you've seen," Nami replies.

The same wind gust from earlier blows again, this time much harder. It messes up Nami while she's sewing the string onto Luffy's hat, and she gets a bit frustrated. Kaneki puts on his mask.

 _This mask is meant to hide my identity while I'm being hunted down by people who claim that I'm the scum of the Earth. When people see me in that mask, fear is struck into their hearts, and I only wear it when I'm in a bad or bloody situation. Now,_ Kaneki thinks, _now I'm putting it on because someone thinks it looks cool._

"Uh… Guys," Usopp says. The three look in his direction. He has a telescope, and is focusing on something in the distance. "Weird question, can people stand on water?"

"What do you mean, stand on water?" Nami replies. She finishes sewing Luffy's hat and gives it back to him.

"I literally mean _stand on water._ "

Irritated, Nami asks, "Are you serious?"

Usopp turns his head to Nami. "Yes."

Nami walks over to him and grabs the telescope. She scans the horizon. Oddly enough, there's a figure atop the water out in the distance. She zooms in to see a girl wearing all-white clothes, with long, white hair.

"There - there really is someone there. Someone's _standing on the water!_ " Nami shouts. Zoro wakes up and Sanji opens the door to see what's going on. Steam gushes out of the doorway and the aroma of steak and rice comes along with it; this distracts Luffy from the present situation and causes Sanji to have to restrain Luffy from eating lunch early.

Nami hands Kaneki the telescope and tells him to look out in the distance. Surely enough, that same white figure is standing atop the water; she's looking straight at the Going Merry, and her palms are pointed directly downward. Upon closer inspection, she's seemingly _hovering_ above the water by an inch or two.

"Not really standing, more like hovering," Kaneki points out.

"Luffy!" Sanji shouts. "Lunch is _not_ ready yet, so get the _hell_ out!"

Nami turns her head towards Luffy and Sanji. "You two, shut up, we might have a problem."

"What do you mean, Nami-san?" Sanji asks.

Nami grabs the telescope from Kaneki and gives it to Sanji. He gets really excited when he sees the lady supposedly standing on the water.

"Woah, she's pretty! Let's invite her onboard!"

Zoro suddenly interrupts, "Hey, cook, what if she's a thief or something? You can't just go inviting random people onboard the ship."

He turns his head to Kaneki.

"Same goes for you, Luffy."

"Oi, moss-head! You can shut your mouth, none of us have even _met_ her yet!" Sanji argues.

The two begin furiously arguing, and in that time the white figure in the distance disappears. Usopp points this out and everyone begins searching the horizon for the figure, and, oddly enough, Luffy finds her, and he stretches his arm out towards her. His arm passes directly through her.

"W-what?" Luffy asks, confused. "My arm… Went through her! Like Smokey! What the hell?"

"She's a Devil's Fruit user? That explains how she's standing on the water…" Nami says. "In any case, don't provoke her, we do _not_ need any trouble right now!"

Luffy steps back. "Uh, too late."

The woman begins sprinting towards the Going Merry, and the Straw Hats take a defensive position, except for Luffy, who's standing on the side of the ship towards the girl coming for the ship. She jumps up from the ocean and above the Going Merry, and then she lands on the top of the mast. Her light blue eyes glare down at the Straw Hats.

"Hey! What do you want?" Luffy yells out to her. She doesn't respond.

 _I wonder if the Grand Line is filled with strange people like this,_ Usopp thinks.

 _Probably._

A few moments of silence later, Nami notices the girl staring at her log pose.

"You are headed northeast, are you not?" the girl questions Nami.

"Yes, why?" Nami questions in return.

The girl takes a serious tone and look, and replies, "Don't."

She disappears as a gust of wind blows towards her, her figure disintegrating into thin air. Then, the ship is suddenly pushed from its side and goes flying upwards. The Merry lands a few hundred meters away, and forcibly turned directly southeast by a _very_ strong air current. A voice echos through the ship as wind the speed of a cyclone pushes through: "Stay away from God."

And then, the wind disappears, and the crew is left in bewilderment.

"You guys know what this means, right?" Luffy rhetorically asks. "We're _definitely_ going to Thunder Island."

"She just - moved the ship! Like it was nothing! _Threw_ Merry like a small rock or something," Usopp says. "How?"

"Some type of wind fruit," Zoro suggests. He climbs up the mast to his usual napping spot, and looks out in all directions. "She could move with the wind."

Nami looks up at Zoro. "She could _control_ the wind itself. Manipulate air currents. That's how she threw the ship."

"That's horrifying, imagine what she could do! Imagine if it was already windy, we wouldn't even see her coming from _anywhere_!" Usopp says, a bit frightened.

Sanji only thinks about how beautiful she was while he finishes up lunch, Usopp gets paranoid she's going to come back, Nami takes her mind off of it and tries to get back on course, Zoro sits near the front of the ship, Luffy sits on the Going Merry's head, and Kaneki, in shock & awe of what he just saw, closes himself off by resting in the back of the ship.

 _What's with this place?_ he thinks. _Nothing makes sense… All the people here are so… bizarre. The captain of this ship can stretch his body, there was a guy back in "Loguetown" made of smoke, and now there's a person made of wind who threw the entire ship. Is this just one big dream?_

 _Or, perhaps, did I move on to the second life?_

Kaneki chuckles. _Maybe._

Meanwhile, it's been a day since Touka and the others got onto the marine warship. They spent the night in a closet without causing trouble, and today, they're ready to carry out a plan to hijack the warship.

"How long until the ship reaches Alabasta?" a voice from a Den Den Mushi asks. A marine, holding the communication snail, stands on the deck of the marine warship Touka's on. He's near the edge, and he's looking on at the waters in front of him. They're on the Calm Belt, which is the outer sea that completely surrounds the Grand Line; there is no wind, hence the name, and it's filled with giant Sea Kings. Only special ships, including marine warships, can travel through it.

"A week or two, sir. We're currently crossing the Calm Belt, but there seems to be some sort of disturbance."

"How do you mean?"

"There are three stowaways aboard the ship, and we cannot find them."

"Well, take care of it. The rebels overthrew the government in Alabasta, and Cipher Pol has discovered the shichibukai Crocodile was behind it. It's a mess, and we need to take care of it… It'd be a helluva lot easier with Smoker. Report back to me once the ship reaches Alabasta, and we'll go from there."

"Yes sir."

A few seconds after the marine says "yes sir," Touka appears behind him. She pulls out a knife she found in the ship's kitchen, and then abruptly holds it to the marine's neck. He freezes, and drops the Den Den Mushi.

" _You say a word, you will die. Take me to the captain of this ship,"_ she demands. They've already captured a few hostages; Touka plans to force the captain to take them to a nearby island and let them have the ship.

The terrified marines complies, and the two begin heading for wherever the captain is. He leads her to the front of the ship, past bewildered marines not daring to intervene; the only one that _did_ try to intervene was met by a quick "no" from the marine held hostage by Touka. The two meet the captain of the ship - an old, scruffy-looking man with scars all over his face and torso. The captain glares at Touka. She returns the glare.

"There are three hostages somewhere on this ship that I can have killed in a matter of seconds," she tells him.

"What do you want?" his roughed-up voice questions Touka. He studies her peculiar rabbit mask she's wearing to conceal her identity.

"A map."

"A map? Of what?"

"The world," she bluntly answers. Touka knows she's in new, dangerous, and mysterious territory, and wants to learn as much as she can about it as soon as possible.

"What do you mean?" the old captain asks, confused. "Do you not know of the world?"

"Just give me a damn map," she demands. One of the marines shuffles down into the giant boat and eventually crawls back out with a large piece of paper. He hands it to her, and disappears back into the crowd of marines anxiously watching the situation unfold.

Touka unrolls the map and scans over it. She sees a big, vertical, red line, titled "Red Line." There's also an even thicker horizontal line in the middle of the paper, dubbed the "Grand Line," with two "Calm Belt" lines surrounding it. There's also East Blue in the upper right hand corner, south in the lower right, north in the upper left, and west in the lower left. In that moment of reading the map, it's confirmed to her that she is, indeed, in a brand new world.

"Where are we on this map?" she asks. One of the marines steps forward and points to a location on the Calm Belt, near East Blue.

"Where is this ship going?" she again asks, and again one of the marines steps forward and points to an island in the middle of the map - _Alabasta._

Touka looks up at the captain. She thinks for a moment; she wonders where Kaneki would go on this map.

" _This city is where people usually stop by before they enter the Grand Line, granted they're coming from East Blue. Your friend that you speak of is probably headed in that direction - trust me, no matter what island you end up in on the Grand Line, if you follow the Log Pose, you'll be going to the same place."_

"I want a 'Log Pose' and to be dropped off at the nearest island on this Grand Line, and nobody will have to get hurt. Got it?"

The captain nods. Instead of fighting, he'd rather just help her out, as he gets the vibe that she's not a bad person, just in a bad situation. He doesn't want to report her or anything like that, but word of instances like such spread around like wildfire in the Navy, and as the ship heads out for the Grand Line…

...the Straw Hats are approaching Thunder Island.

"Listen, Luffy! You are _not_ to get into _any_ fights while we're here, got it? We're already being hunted by the Marines and don't need any more trouble. You too, Zoro!" Nami tells Luffy.

"Guys, what if that wind woman comes back?" Usopp asks. "Who is this 'God' she was talking about?"

Zoro steps up and looks to the island in the distance. It has dark clouds hovering above the hunk of land and a large dock housing many ships near the entrance.

"Then we'll fight her," Zoro says to Usopp. "Simple. I'm gonna go walk around town once we get there, anyone wanna come with?"

"I'm coming," Luffy says. "You too, Kaneki. And bring the mask!"

"O-ok," Kaneki replies. The three hop off of the Going Merry and onto the wooden dock once the ship reaches the island, and head out. The grass on the island is lush; the sky is filled with dark clouds; small villages as well as military outposts span across the entire island; and in the easternmost section of the island is a large mansion.

Nami watches the three boys excitedly rush into their first ever Grand Line island. She thinks, _I give them a few hours before the military here is targeting us because of something they did. In the meantime…_

Nami hops off of the boat, and Sanji eagerly jumps down with her. She looks back at the Going Merry, a small ship in comparison with the others docked at Thunder Island, then forward.

"Where are you going, Nami-san? May I accompany you?" Sanji asks her.

"I'm going to go find out what the hell is going on with the weather here. The clouds, the wind, the pressure… It doesn't match up. Something unnatural is occurring here. Usopp, can you watch the ship?"

Usopp's head appears from the deck of the ship. He lets out a sigh of relief.

"Gladly."

* * *

 **twitter: byzeldro**

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	4. 3 - The Rookies

**Chapter Three: The Rookies**

There are many paths one can take when traversing the Grand Line. It mostly depends on the very first island one visits once they enter the sea; after that, the rest of the journey is mostly dictated by a Log Pose, which points in the direction of the next island in the path. The only way to change course is to find another stray island, which either happens by pure luck or the guidance of an Eternal Pose, which, hence its name, eternally points towards a certain island.

The Straw Hats chose the path starting with Thunder Island. It is the northernmost path, and considered to be the most hectic.

Around the time the Straw Hats arrive at Thunder Island, a certain girl does as well. She is holding one of these Eternal Poses, and it has the name "ALABASTA" inscribed into it. She has long, blue hair, a horizontal scar on her forehead, and carries nothing but a small bag. Her name is Nefeltari Vivi.

This girl has been through quite a lot recently, and wants nothing more than some peace and quiet for a few days. She's uncertain about her future, and worried about her homeland's future. At one point, while she's aimlessly wandering around from village to village on Thunder Island, trying to stay away from the plentiful military outposts, she stumbles upon a rather nice-looking bar. She walks in said bar and orders a drink.

A pirate known as Bellamy is sitting in that same bar. He's in a booth with his pirate friends, chatting about. He arrived on Thunder Island the day before and has not come across any problems; thus, he believes he's invincible.

"So, guys, earlier today I came across a weak-ass guard. I mean, all of them are weak, but this one was _pathetic._ Pink hair, short and stubby, no more than 100 pounds. So I tried to go see this Thunderdome everybody's always talking about and he's the one on guard there. Says I can't go. Well, I ask, 'Why the hell not?' And he responds with - get this - 'He'll hurt you.'"

"What the shit?" one of his blue-haired pirate friends asks. "Someone hurt _you?_ The big-time rookie?"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I ask him, 'Shrimp dick, what's your name?' He says, 'Coby.' I say, 'Well, Coby, move aside before I kick your ass, _so_ I can kick this thunder guy's ass.' Dude says no. You can probably guess what happened after that."

"Damn! Is he alive?"

Bellamy laughs. "I have no clue."

"Did you go see the Thunderdome?"

"Yeah, but I couldn't find nobody worth fighting there. Before we head out to Rosine, y'all wanna check it out again?"

The other blue-haired pirate wearing sunglasses excitedly replies, "Hell yeah!"

"Before we do that…" Bellamy continues, "Watch this."

The tall, buff, rookie pirate with a 55,000,000 beli bounty stands up and walks towards the main bar and takes a seat by the blue-haired girl, Nefeltari Vivi. Just when she's about to chug down another drink he grabs her wrist and forces it down to the wooden bar table.

"Little miss, don't you think that's a bit too much?"

Panic appears in the girl's eyes as she tries to free her hand from his grasp. Bellamy smirks; the entire bar seems unaffected by this.

"Please… Let go," she pleads.

"Why? I wasn't doin' nothin' to harm ya. Say, why don't I buy you a drink and you could come back to our place?" he asks her.

"No thanks, I'm fine…"

He doesn't let go.

"Listen, bitch, I'm a pirate with a 55 million bounty that could kill you and everyone in this bar in a matter of seconds. Do you want to be responsible for the death of everyone in this bar? No? Then I suggest you get the hell up already."

A tear flows down Vivi's eye.

"Oi, she's not into you, step off," a voice says. Both Vivi and Bellamy turn their head to the left to see a green-haired swordsman with about ten downed cups of sake in front of him. He turns his head towards the arrogant pirate and shoots him a nasty glare.

"Who the hell are you?" Bellamy asks. He frees his tight grip from Vivi and walks closer to the swordsman.

"A better question is who the hell are _you?_ Harassing some girl like that, saying you could kill everyone in this bar. It's a bunch of bullshit."

"Are you an idiot?! I'm Bellamy, big-time rookie, and I'm gonna kick your ass!"

The person known as Pirate Hunter Zoro shoots Bellamy a smirk.

"Sorry, I promised someone I wouldn't get in any fights here. Maybe later."

Bellamy snaps, and punches Zoro across the face. He flies over the bar and into the stack of drinks, cracking a ton of bottles and spilling a ton of alcohol. Bellamy laughs hysterically. He then hops onto the counter and squats down; his feet suddenly morph into springs and he abruptly shoots upward off said springs and crashes through the roof. A few seconds later, he comes flying back down, and tries to land onto Zoro, but Zoro easily dodges him. The two stand up as the entire bar looks on in awe.

"Are you deaf?" Zoro asks. "I'm not looking for a fight right now, I've got things to do."

The green-haired swordsman, seemingly unaffected by Bellamy's punch, casually walks out of the bar, chugging down yet another bottle. He walks down a dirt trail and into a small village; said village is, ironically, very crowded. There are no military outposts; thus, many pirates and outlaws stay in that town all the time. That includes the Straw Hat Pirates, of course.

The sky is dark, as usual; the moon is barely visible; the townspeople give off an unwelcome vibe; and uncertainty is in the air. As Roronoa Zoro strolls around the dirt roads of the town, he passes by glares from almost everyone, and small, wooden buildings spanning the entire length of the road. One of the pirates recognizes him as "Pirate Hunter Zoro," and word passes around the city that a bounty hunter is in town pretty quickly. He stops every few buildings to see where Luffy is, as he's forgotten where he, Kaneki, and Luffy are staying for the night, and at one point he enters one of the two-story wooden buildings.

"Hey, it's Zoro!" Luffy calls out. Zoro turns to his side to see Luffy in the doorway of one of the rooms his crew is staying in.

"Where were you?" Luffy asks him.

"Having a drink, met some interesting people."

"Ahhh… Where's Ken?"

"Don't know. Luffy, I'm still getting a bad vibe from that guy, I don't know why… Like he's hiding something."

"No! No no no no! He's good, I can tell. You know why?"

"...why?"

"'Cuz he's got that cool mask!"

"That doesn't mean he's good! Remember Nami? She convinced us she was good and then _stole our ship!_ "

"Yeah, but she ended up being good in the end, anyway. Don't worry about it!" Luffy replies, smiling.

On the other side of the island is Sanji and Nami. They're planning on heading back to the Merry after a while to get Usopp, but Nami insisted to keep snooping around a certain military outpost.

Each military outpost on Thunder Island is a white, three story tower, with a lightning symbol on each side. There are guards scouting from the top and guarding the bottom entrance; they do not sport the normal marine uniform. Nami and Sanji watch from afar behind a big hill, as the terrain of Thunder Island is very bumpy.

"Nami… Have you noticed…"

"What, Sanji-kun?"

"Have you noticed these guys aren't Navy?"

The fierce wind almost blows Sanji's cigarette out of his mouth; the dark, cloudy sky looms above.

"I've noticed that too… What kind of island has a local military with… With no connection to the Navy?"

"I don't know… In any case, we shouldn't let Luffy or that moss-head provoke any of them… How long will it take for the Log Pose to set?"

"Some woman in town said a week."

Sanji stops for a moment, lost in thought.

"So…"

Nami looks at Sanji.

"Do you wanna go back to the Merry so we can discuss it in the shower?" Sanji half-jokingly asks her. Nami slaps him.

"Yes to going back to the Merry, _no to taking a bath with you._ "

 _Worth a try,_ Sanji thinks.

Nami stands up and looks in the direction of the Merry. She thinks, _Best case scenario, we stay here for a week, don't pick a fight with anyone, and move on._

 _But I know Luffy, and he'll make sure that doesn't happen._

 _Hopefully Kaneki at least has some sense._

And back in the village where Zoro and Luffy are staying is Kaneki. He's wearing his mask that Luffy loves so much and is wearily walking about town.

 _Where were they staying…?_ he thinks. _I've already lost them._

 _Oh well… I can just find another group or something. Maybe be a lone wolf._

 _And somehow, some way, I could find Touka…_

"Oi, Ken!"

Kaneki turns around to see none other than Luffy.

"What're you doing here?"

"I-uh… Looking for you."

"Well, I'm right here. Come on, let's get some sleep."

Kaneki quickly notices that Luffy seems genuinely glad to see him, and to him, it feels… reassuring. He nods, smiles for a moment, and walks with the "Straw Hat Pirate" back to the place they're staying.

On a different part of the Grand Line are Touka, Nishiki, and Hinami, on a marine warship they've taken over. The ship's still headed for Alabasta; all is well for the three ghouls… or at least they think it is.

"Vice Admiral?" the captain asks.

"Yes, the one we were supposed to pick up - Smoker."

"What does he want?"

The marine, holding a Den Den Mushi, talks to Vice Admiral Smoker through the snail-microphone, asking him what he wants. The snail responds, "Just let me talk to him," in a Smoker-style voice - low, and serious. The captain of the ship grabs the Den Den Mushi and begins speaking.

"What do you need?"

"Well… We're having a bit of trouble here in Loguetown, see, there are some strange people destroying the city, fighting each other, even getting marines killed in the crossfire."

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"First off, I've already captured a few and plan on sending them down to HQ to see what their deal is, because… they have these powers, and they're not Devil's Fruit powers, either."

"Get to the point, Smoker."

"A few of these troublemakers are unaccounted for. I was wondering, would you have any idea where a few of these… _monsters_ are? According to a few soldiers here three suspicious people hopped onboard your warship before you set off."

The captain glares at Touka, thinking of what to say.

"Monsters, you say?"

"Indeed."

"Well… No, I haven't seen any strange people on the ship that you speak of."

"Fine. Call back if you have any updates."

Just before the old captain hangs up, someone grabs the Transponder Snail and begins talking into it. She's a woman, the vice-captain of the ship, and has a fiery gaze in her eyes.

"Help! Our ship has been taken hostage, requesting backup! Girl with purple hair, guy with glasses and light brown hair, little girl wi-"

Touka punches the woman across the face with all her might. She stumbles into the crowd of bewildered marines and passes out.

" _WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"_ Touka yells at her.

Chaos erupts within the following minute.

The next morning, back on Thunder Island, Kaneki is the first to wake up. Below him on the bunk bed he's sleeping on is Luffy, and on the top bunk of the bed across from him is Zoro. The air is calm. The atmosphere is peaceful. Out on the horizon, the sun is just beginning to rise; after peeking out the window to see how early it is, he guesses around 5:30 is the current time.

He had awoken with a start, naturally, as a nightmare had taken over his dreams. All he could remember was the vivid image of Anteiku burning down and an overwhelming sense of fear. Brushing it off, the white-haired ghoul hops down from the top bunk, grabs his mask from the nightstand, and strolls on outside.

He begins searching for a coffee shop. He hasn't had any coffee since he arrived in the _One Piece_ universe, nor has he had a… meal. Kaneki pushes the thought of possibly resorting to murder to curb his hunger to the back of his mind and convinces himself coffee will satisfy him… for now.

The usually crowded streets have not a soul wandering about. People in this town usually don't wake up this early, so luckily for Kaneki, there's nobody he can run into to cause trouble for him. He knows he's strong in comparison to most of the barbaric pirates and bounty hunters he's seen around here, but at the same time knows there are people much, much more powerful. _The smoke-guy and Captain Luffy,_ he thinks. _My powers would probably seem just as strange to this world as theirs does._

 _At least I have someone strong like Luffy on my side for the time being, so I can have time to figure things out. Touka's here somewhere, I can feel it. Not on this island, maybe not even in this sea, but.. she's here, going through exactly what I'm going through. Or worse._

Kaneki notices that the sky isn't filled with dark, giant clouds anymore; instead, the sky's mostly a dark, dark blue, gradually getting lighter, with a small, white cloud here and there. A mountain range looms off in front of him to the east and the hilly terrain surrounding him from the other three directions makes it seem like he's in a valley.

After walking around the quiet town for a bit longer Kaneki stumbles upon a bar - it is the bar Zoro had gone to the day before, where he met some… interesting people. The bar's at the edge of town, and is the easternmost building in said town. A big sign hangs from the front porch of the bar: "Goddrack".

He opens the door to see quite the messy place; behind the counter where all of the different kinds of beer, wine, & alcohol are usually stored is filled with cracked bottles, broken glass, and even chunks of wood. Directly above said chunks of wood is a hole in the roof of the bar. Some of the counter stools are torn in half, the entire place reeks of drunkenness, and the booth tables haven't been cleaned at all. Despite this, there's a bartender waiting for the next customer to serve and a passed-out customer lying her head down on the counter.

"Uh, may I ask," Kaneki asks the old, male bartender, "do you guys have any coffee?"

The bartender smiles. "Yes, we do."

Kaneki takes a seat. "Also, if it's okay to ask… What happened here?"

"A pirate came in here last night, tried to hook up with this here girl sleeping on the bar counter, some dude stopped him then left, he got angry and lashed out on everyone around him. Injured most of the staff, so nobody was able to clean up."

Kaneki recalls cleaning his old coffee shop up. He always wanted it to be as neat as possible, and didn't mind how long it would take.

That, along with the fact that he needs money, he says, "I'll be willing to help clean up."

This take the old man by surprise. A young, bizarre, eyepatch-wearing stranger wants to clean up this half-demolished bar. Kaneki isn't wearing his mask right now, so he doesn't look as threatening as usual, but his white hair and worn-out eyepatch doesn't make him look inviting, either.

"Are you saying you want to work here?"

"Temporarily, I need the money."

The old man makes a pot of coffee, Kaneki eagerly slurps down cup after cup until there's no more, and then, the two get started. They sweep up all of the broken glass. They dust the counter. They collect trash from the many booths spanning the bar and replace the counter stools with the spare ones in the back. Kaneki mops up all of the spilled alcohol, and the old bartender freshens up the air. During all of this cleaning, the girl passed out on the counter awakens.

She perks her head up, scans her surroundings, and her hangover headache abruptly kicks in.

"Looks like you had a few too many drinks last night, young lady," the bartender says to her. "Tough times?"

She sighs, then sputters out, "Yeah."

The girl has long, blue hair, a horizontal scar on her forehead, carries nothing but a small bag, and her name is Nefeltari Vivi. She's been dealing with her stress by getting drunk, so she forgets about her problems, but nothing's worse than waking up with a massive headache and the realization that your problems are still there. And this girl definitely has some problems.

Kaneki gazes at the gaping hole in the ceiling just above the counter.

"What happened here, exactly?"

"The pirate I was talking about was one of them Devil's Fruit users, he could somehow jump really high… I didn't really get a look at what went down but I do know he jumped up and crashed through the roof and back down to fight some guy."

"Devil's Fruit?" Kaneki rhetorically asks. "There sure are a lot of those types of people."

"Indeed," the old man says. "Ever since _he_ was executed, ambitious pirates with all sorts of crazy powers have come rummaging through here."

"Hey," Vivi says, "Can you guys maybe go talk somewhere else? I'm sorry, my head really hurts, and I can't go anywhere other than here."

Kaneki turns his head towards her.

Out of pity and the goodness of his heart, he asks, "Would you want to sleep where I'm staying for a couple of nights, with all of my friends?"

She quickly raises her head and smiles. "Wait, seriously?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Well then, of co- ow, my head..." She holds her aching head and shoots Kaneki a half-smile. "Y-yes, that'd be nice if I could stay a couple of nights. I really need it… so thank you."

"First, young man, you have to finish sweeping," the bartender tells Kaneki.

Kaneki nods, and then finishes his work. The old man gives Kaneki 3500 beli as pay, and then, Kaneki begins leading Vivi to the place he and his crewmates are staying. It's still morning, but some people are already up and out of their beds, wandering about the village. One group is packing up to continue their trek on the Grand Line; some of the other groups are looking to cause havoc on other parts of the island. They're not attacking each other in the town, kind of like it's neutral ground. Kaneki notices this. He lets down his guard and instead just focuses on finding his crew's place.

"How many 'friends' do you have? I-is there room where you're staying?" the blue-haired girl timidly asks. She's still exhausted.

"Five," Kaneki bluntly replies. "I don't know if there's enough room, but there probably is."

"Oh, okay."

Whilst walking the streets of the mostly quiet town, the two stumble upon a fierce argument in the middle of the street. One has spiky, dark-red hair, with a menacing face, and the other looks to be an ordinary citizen, a middle-aged male.

"No! Tell me what you said!" the spiky-haired man yells at the other, with his scary, low voice. "You said something about me as I passed you up. Come on, speak up!"

"Okay, fine! I… said you were a rookie."

"What else? I'm sure there's more than that."

The man sighs. "Okay. You wanna hear it? I said you were a big fish in a small pond, but you're just a rookie. Satisfied? Now, please let me get by, I have business to attend to."

The spiky-haired pirate quickly pulls out a knife and stabs the man in the stomach to which Kaneki promptly runs over to the scene and kicks the pirate in the face. The scrawny, eyepatched, white-haired weirdo, despite his appearance, is fairly good at hand-to-hand combat; however, Kaneki regrets interfering with the confrontation the moment he kicks the pirate.

"K-kaneki! What do you think you're doing?!" Vivi yells out. Kaneki steps back and the surrounding people direct their attention to him.

"Captain!" a certain person a little ways in front of the downed pirate calls out. He's wearing a strange, striped mask that covers his entire mask.

"Step back, Killer…" the spiky-haired pirate tells the one named Killer.

"Eustass Kid…" Vivi says under her breath. She looks to Kaneki with a concerned expression. "We should probably get out of here, fast."

The pirate, named Eustass Kid, glares at Kaneki. The man he stabbed is on the ground, trying to crawl away, but Kid's already forgotten about him. The atmosphere grows tense. The surrounding people stop to witness the situation. Kaneki and Vivi grow weary as the amount of angry expressions fixed on them increase - _the rest of Kid's crew,_ Vivi thinks.

 _What's with this guy? He just… Kicked him, out of nowhere, almost out of instinct. It was a decent kick, too. If he was strong I'm sure it would've really hurt._ Vivi notices the spot where Kaneki kicked Eustass Kid. _Or…_ did _it hurt?_

"You've got quite the nerve, little dude," Kid says. "What's your name?"

Kaneki hesitates for a moment. "K-kaneki."

Kid chuckles. "Well, K-kaneki, are you willing to die, right here, right now?"

"What?"

"Are you willing to die?"

"No?"

"Then get the hell out of here already! Go!" he yells. Kaneki backs away with Vivi until the two begin running.

"Why didn't you do anything, captain?" one of his crewmates asks.

Kid looks in the direction of Kaneki. "He wasn't a pussy, which is rare nowadays. Kid's got some nerve, I like that. He's still a dumbass, though, no doubt. Come on, let's get going," he tells his crew.

At this current moment, four rookies with a bounty of over 20 million beli are on Thunder Island, including the Straw Hats. Though small further down the Grand Line, a bounty that high by merely the first Grand Line island is considered impressive. Zoro encountered Bellamy of the Bellamy pirates, and Kaneki encountered Eustass Kid of the Kid pirates. That leaves one more rookie pirate that have not yet crossed paths with the Straw Hats.

By the time Kaneki arrives at the Straw Hats' hotel room, the rest are already there - Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji. When he opens the door, everyone looks to him; they're all sitting on their beds, except for Nami, who plans on going back to the Merry later that day.

"Took you long enough," Usopp says. "Whoa - who's that?"

Vivi appears from behind Kaneki. She hesitates to enter the room but eventually does so once Kaneki motions her to walk inside.

"Hi guys, uh… I kinda brought back a friend."

"WHOA!" Sanji says loudly. "What's her name? Is she staying the night?!"

"For a few nights," Kaneki replies.

"Oi, oi, oi! Did you decide this on your own?" Zoro asks. A few seconds after he asks that he realizes who the girl is.

"Wait. Aren't you…"

"Yes," Vivi replies before he finishes his question. _It's the guy from the bar,_ she thinks.

"Luffy, you're being uncharacteristically quiet," Nami points out.

Usopp chimes in again. "It's because he's already made up his mind," he remarks, as he cleans off his goggles atop his bunk bed.

"Ha! Of course!" Luffy laughs. "What's your name, girl?" He hops down from his bed and approaches her.

"Vivi… Nefeltari Vivi."

"A few nights, you say? That shouldn't be a problem, I guess."

"Thank you…"

For the first time since she left her homeland, Vivi almost feels… welcome somewhere. She's not greeted with perverted glares and snarky remarks, nor is the door slammed in her face by families she's hoping she can stay with. It's not the same as being surrounded by family and friends, but… it's a step in the right direction.

 _All's well that ends well,_ she thinks. _In any case, these people seem eager to cause conflict with other pirates, but for the sake of good. Still, I hope they don't fight with anybody else here, especially that God guy…_

"HEY!" Usopp shouts. Everyone looks toward him immediately. He's on one of the top bunks.

"Who stole my ammo?"

"What?" Zoro asks from the bunk below him.

"Why automatically assume it's stealing, Usopp?" Sanji asks. "Why not 'borrowing without asking?'"

"IT'S THE SAME THING!"

"I beg to differ."

"What did you do with it, Sanji?"

"Didn't say it was me. It was probably Zoro, if you ask me."

"Don't bring me into this, twirly-brows. He probably lost it."

As the three continually argue, and Kaneki spots the rest of Usopp's ammo on the nightstand in between the two bunk beds, Nami stands up and approaches Vivi.

"How long did you say you'd be staying?" she asks.

"Three nights at most. I just need to get back onto my feet, then I'll be on my way."

"And Kaneki…" Nami continues. He looks to her confusingly. "I see that your pockets are a little full. Where'd you get that money?"

"I-uh… Got a job at a bar."

"A _job?!_ What the hell, Kaneki?! You _do_ know we're going to be here just a few more days, right?! What, are you _living_ here or something?" she scolds him.

"No… uh… sorry… It started as just helping clean up, and then the guy there said I could come back a few more times before I leave to get some extra money…"

"Well, if that's the case, give me half."

"What?"

"Give me half of your pay and you can keep the job."

"Hey, Nami, you can't do that!" Zoro yells. "Let the man do what he wants!"

"Oi, don't yell at Nami like that!" Sanji yells in response.

"It's not for me, it's for the general crew fund!"

"Since when do we have a 'general crew fund?'" Usopp asks.

"Since today," Nami replies. "And you idiots can't take any from it!"

"Why?" Usopp asks.

"BECAUSE, you'll spend it on something stupid!"

Zoro sighs. "That defeats the purpose of the 'general crew fund' if only you can use it."

Nami turns to Zoro, angry. "No! It'll only be used for something like ship repairs, or upgrades! Something like that!"

"Like a new ship, Nami-san?" Sanji asks.

"NO!" Usopp yells at Sanji. "We are _not_ getting a new ship. The Merry can suffice. And YOU NEVER TOLD ME WHERE MY AMMO IS!"

"It's on the damn nightstand!" Nami shouts. "Just… trust me! I won't spend it on selfish needs like new clothes, I'll use my own money for that. Now how much money did you get, Kaneki?"

"3500 beli."

"Then… That, divided by two… 17 hundred something… Alright, 1750 beli!" Nami holds out her hand. Kaneki counts all of the cash he got from the old bartender and gives her 1750 beli.

Vivi chuckles a little, and smiles. Something that hasn't happened for a while.

 _These guys don't seem like pirates at all._

And as the group prepares to set out to explore more of the island, on another part of the Grand Line is Touka, Nishiki, and Hinami on a marine warship. Nishiki is holding a Den Den Mushi; he calls it the "snail telephone," and is talking to Vice Admiral Smoker. He's trying to hold back Touka, who's trying to snatch the "snail telephone" from him.

"Tell me, what is your goal?" Smoker asks through the snail.

Nishiki chuckles. "We simply want to know what the hell's going on around here."

"What do you mean?"

He looks at the hogtied captain as well as the surrounding marines, scared out of their mind. None of them dare to interfere.

"I mean, where the hell I am and where those god-forsaken ghoul inspectors are. I have a bone to pick with them."

"NISHIKI, GIVE ME THE FRICKIN' SNAIL!" Touka shouts. Nishiki starts running from her whilst holding the Den Den Mushi.

While they're running, a certain marine on the ship takes pictures of the three ghouls with a Camera Den Den Mushi, and they're sent to a certain marine base far into the Grand Line.

"Can I ask a favor of you, then?" Smoker asks.

"What's that?"

"Turn yourself over to the Navy so we can also know what the hell's going on."

"Go fuck yourself," he bluntly responds.

Nishiki hangs up the Transponder Snail and drops it on the ground. He begins laughing hysterically.

Back in Loguetown is Smoker, taken aback from Nishiki's message.

"Round up some troops, and get me a warship," he says to the marine group in front of him. "We're going to have to do this the hard way."

 _Something strange is happening here,_ Smoker thinks. _It all started in this city… Nobody wants to investigate, so I'll have to. Whatever these "ghouls" and "ghoul inspectors" are… I have a feeling they'll cause conflict in the near future._

"Sir, the news articles and bounty posters have been finished!" a marine says as he approaches Smoker, saluting.

"Good," he replies. The marine hands him a newspaper and three WANTED posters.

"We were able to catch their names from the conversation on the Snail as well as from the other marines witnessing the fight here a couple of days ago."

"You did?" he rhetorically asks. He pulls out the WANTED posters, and sees three names imprinted on each, along with pictures:

"Ghoul" Touka, "Ghoul" Nishiki, and "Ghoul" Hinami.

In the following hours those three posters are distributed to the world. People are taken aback as they read about the "monster infestation" in Loguetown, and how it's already spreading to the Grand Line.

But by the time the posters are delivered to Thunder Island, Kaneki's too busy with his problems to even notice.

* * *

 **A/N: That was a longer chapter compared to the others. More developments have been made, and new characters have come into play. I hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading!**

* * *

 **Review Response**

 **RetardedLaptopUser:** The plot is interesting, Kaneki the busboy and his bff mop. Also you might want to use something to separate scenes like going from the Straw Hats to Touka and the others. This is nicely written and I can't wait for more

I'll keep your suggestion in mind, maybe make it more clear that the scene is changing. Thanks for the review!

 **raijinfairy:** Is this before Kaneki gets captured?

No, the story starts while he was still captured, and the people who had kidnapped him were sucked into the OP universe as well as Kaneki and the others. To be precise, it takes place after the season one finale of Tokyo Ghoul.

 **Salad-bitch:** Really enjoying this story, and particular the slow lead up! I can't stand in cross overs when the author leaps straight into showing off the character and having them immediately be over-powered in comparison to the rest of the characters. But you've done a really good job of this, and I'm really enjoying your writing style!

Keep up the good work and can't wait for the next chapter!

Yeah, I prefer to take things slowly, because in my opinion when the climax comes along it pays off so well. It's like One Piece does it. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest:** You are really doing great in this story. Do you plan the add to vivi and chopper in crew

I plan to have the entire crew present from modern day One Piece, from Luffy to Chopper to Brook, as well as others. Vivi, though, that'll be a mystery for now.


	5. 4 - Inevitable

**A/N: Apologies for the wait, I should start posting chapters more regularly now.**

* * *

 **Chapter Four: Inevitable**

"Why are their bounties so high?" a man asks. "I'm not saying I don't trust Smoker's judgement, but they're just a few weirdos from East Blue that supposedly fought each other back in Loguetown."

"Only three of them have bounties," another man answers. "Those three are the ones who took over an entire warship and have disrupted our plans to destroy the rebellion in Alabasta."

The two men, seated at a long table with many other men, speculate about the recent incidents that have been caused by the many people from the _Tokyo Ghoul_ universe. They're from the World Government; more specifically, a branch dedicated to the usually peaceful East Blue.

"It's not like they are directing their attacks at _us,_ they just seem to want to travel to a certain island. Besides, just one warship gone compared to the tens of others headed to Alabasta shouldn't be much a problem."

"Every warship counts, especially in this case. While it's unknown whether or not _he_ is involved in this specific uprising, there have been rumors of _him_ being sighted there, and even if that is not the case, the Alabasta Government is still in grave danger. Even their princess's whereabouts are unknown, and their king has been captured."

"My point still stands. Yes, they caused us a bit of a problem, but Smoker should have that settled in no time at all. They're just three 'ghouls' that decided to hop on board a random ship to get away from whatever commotion was going on in Loguetown, and, in the process, got entangled with the Navy. Let's say once they get wherever they need to go and don't cause any more problems. Should we really waste our resources going after them?"

"I can see what you're saying. However, for now, we should just leave their bounties be and see what happens. This all originated in Loguetown - many of these 'ghouls' randomly came about and started fighting each other, along with certain people using similar 'ghoul' powers. What exactly the 'ghoul powers' are none of us know, but what's for certain is that they've proven themselves a problem and fairly powerful."

A certain woman sitting in the front of the table chimes in for one remark: "I've decided. Keep the bounties, and if any of these other 'ghouls' commit crimes they shall have bounties on their heads as well. We can't focus too much on little instances like these when bigger problems are about, but at the very least, I shall allow Vice Admiral Smoker to investigate and apprehend them. That will be all."

As the short, thirty-minute long Navy meeting comes to an end, Smoker begins making his move. He rounds up a crew, along with another warship, and heads straight for the Grand Line, towards Touka, Nishiki, and Hinami. Touka is still on the hijacked ship, and is travelling about in the Grand Line, mindlessly sailing the dangerous sea. Meanwhile, Kaneki and the Straw Hats are on their second day at Thunder Island - five more days until the log pose is set.

Naturally, the Straw Hats begin to find themselves gaining new enemies by the day due to their blunt attitudes - especially Luffy and Zoro. This particular trait causes the pirates to get themselves in quite the predicament not too long after Kaneki arrives with Vivi.

Luffy is gazing out the window, aching to go explore. Zoro is, of course, taking a nap in his bunk. Nami is chatting with Vivi. Usopp is tinkering with his many gadgets he has stored in his bag, and Sanji is out looking to stock up on food and water. Kaneki is, simply put, contemplating his current situation.

"When can we go do stuff?" Luffy asks aloud.

Usopp picks up a screw he dropped and looks to Luffy. "Well, what do you mean by 'do stuff'?"

"I don't know, go meet people? Explore the island? I don't care what we do, as long as it's not boring!"

Usopp climbs back onto his bunk and sighs. "Fair enough. Knowing you, though, we'll probably end up being chased off of the island."

Nami suddenly looks up at Usopp amidst her conversation with Vivi and says, "That is _not_ going to happen, we still _five_ days left here!" Nami then turns her head to Luffy, who's still gazing out the window and into the surrounding town. "But, I can't help but want to find out what's with the weather on this island. So, if you want to go exploring, we can go then."

A few moments later, the entire top portion of the room the Straw Hats are staying in is forcefully ripped off, and goes flying upwards. A white figure appears from above and glares down at the pirates.

A voice resonates throughout the premises: " _What did I tell you?"_

Usopp, who's the closest to the white figure, shouts from his top bunk, "AHHHHHH! WIND GIRL! SHE FOUND US!"

"Huh?" Luffy confusingly says. He looks up at the white figure. "Who's she?"

"It's _her!_ " Nami shouts, trying to take cover with Vivi.

"What? 'Her' who? Who is that?" Vivi questions Nami.

Nami answers, "Someone we ran into on the way here. ZORO, WAKE UP!"

The wind-woman pushes a continuous gust of air into the room the Straw Hats rented whilst giving them a nasty glare. Usopp's top bunk collapses and falls on top of the bottom bunk, Luffy's hat and Kaneki's eyepatch fly off, and all of the windows shatter. After climbing onto the other bunk, Nami slaps Zoro until he's awake.

"ZORO!" she yells, pointing to the white figuring hovering above them. "WIND GIRL IS BACK, DO SOMETHING!"

"My hat!" Luffy shouts. "What the _hell_ , woman?!"

Luffy stretches his arm towards his hat, flying into the air, puts it back on and fastens its string around his neck. He then looks to the wind-woman, and throws a punch at her. His rubber arm goes directly through her.

" _That won't work, deary."_

 _It's another one of the Devil's Fruit people,_ Kaneki thinks. _Shit. This is bad._

"DON'T TOUCH MY HAT!" Luffy screams at her.

Zoro, groggy and half-asleep, tries to make out what the white figure is in the sky. Once he recognizes it, he leaps off of the top bunk of his bed and slashes at her figure, midair. His sword goes directly through her, and she's unaffected. He safely lands, takes out his other two swords, and tries again, and again, and again, but to no avail.

"It's like slicing air…" Zoro says. "It's no use, guys!"

" _I gave you all a warning, but it was blatantly disregarded."_

"YOU CAN'T TELL US WHAT TO DO!" Luffy shouts at her. "WHO ARE YOU, ANYWAY?!"

" _My name is Kakihura, but that matters not."_

Nami steps into the open wind, almost directly underneath Kakihura. She notices this, and she reforms herself in front of Nami.

"Listen! We're not here to cause trouble, we just want to get to the next island! If you just let us wait for out log pose to set, we'll be gone, okay?" Nami pleads.

" _Is that so?"_

"Five more days and we'll be gone. Five more days and you'll never see or hear from us again, okay?!" Nami tells her.

" _Fine. Five days,"_ Kakihura replies, morphing back into the wind and disappearing. For a brief moment, everything is silent, absolutely silent…

Then Luffy says, "I'm gonna kick her ass."

"No, Luffy, we made a deal, she's not our enemy," Nami tells him as she helps Usopp up off of his collapsed bed.

The room is torn to pieces, all of the windows are shattered, the roof is nonexistent, one of the beds is broken, and everything else is scattered about the room. It looks as if a tornado came rampaging through the area. As the Straw Hats look to the sky, then back at their nearly destroyed room, they consider moving to a different part of the island.

Zoro looks down at one of his swords. _I wasn't strong enough to beat her… I couldn't even hit her._

 _What a shame…_

 **. . .**

On another side of the island is Sanji. He's wearing his usual black suit, and his blond hair is perfectly brushed. There's a lighted cigarette in his mouth as well. He's walking across a hilly, grassy terrain with a large backpack; said backpack is filled to the brim with ingredients, water, and ammo for Usopp. He's headed back to his crew's rented room, and knows not of Kakihura's return.

Just now appearing in Sanji's view is the town his crew is staying in. Towering above the town off in the distance is a mountain range; dark clouds loom overhead as well, ready to cause a massive thunderstorm at any moment. He had visited a seaside fishing village with plenty of food and supplies to stock up on a bit earlier. He's in a rather happy mood, as he's eager for Vivi to see his cooking skills, and he had found just the right spices to make a dish he had in mind.

In the town Sanji is headed towards is another pirate. She's in a pub with her crew, scarfing down pizza slices, one after the other. The people around her seem disgusted as it seems as if she hasn't eaten for days, but her crew is used to it - her signature trait is her nonexistent table manners and gluttonous attitude. In the middle of her feast, however, she notices a certain carriage with a lightning-bolt symbol on it. This alarms her, and she immediately orders her crew to back away; she continues staring at the carriage pulled by two horses as it nonchalantly passes by the pub.

"Was that _him_?" one of her crewmates asks.

"I think so," she replies. "This damned place is giving me bad vibes. Come on, let's go."

She flips her pink hair as she puts her green hat on her head and waits until the carriage is out of view. Then, she decides to display her power - her _Devil's Fruit power._ Upon walking outside her body turn into that of a child's, almost instantly. Instead of her usual twentysomething-year-old appearance, she now looks like a seven year old girl. After this, she begins fake-crying.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAA! THEY KICKED ME OUT! I JUST WANTED SOMETHING TO EAT!" she screams.

Most of the village consists of pirates, so naturally nobody bats an eye at first, but eventually someone comes along that pays attention to her.

"What's wrong, child? Are you hurt?" the woman asks her.

She fake-sniffles. "N-no… I just wanted food from this place, but I don't have money so they kicked me out! I'm so hungry…"

"Aww! It's okay… Here, I have some extra beli, go get yourself a meal, kid," the woman tells the pirate who looks like a little kid as she hands her enough money for another pizza.

 _Success,_ she thinks.

"Hey! That kid… She looks like…" some random guy begins talking from the other side of the street. He's with a couple of other guys, and is looking through a set of bounty posters that arrived not too long ago.

"Looks like who, Greg?" another asks.

He begins flipping through the posters, saying, "Hold on, it's in here somewhere. Uhh… Bellamy, Eustass Kid, Monkey D. Luffy, Hinami… Ah! Here she is."

The man points at the pink-haired pirate from across the street. Some people stop what they're doing to investigate the commotion.

"She's the rookie pirate Jewelry Bonney, 35 million bounty."

Suddenly, she turns back into an adult and glares at the man with a furious face. Her crew draws their weapons, ready to defend their captain. The man simply continues looking at Bonney.

"What the hell, dude?! You didn't have to tell everyone!" Bonney scolds the man.

"Quit your yappin', it's fine," the man's friend says. "This town is pirate friendly. It's pretty much a neutral zone - except for bounty hunters, of course. We just like to know who's here, that's all."

Bonney thinks for a moment. Her crew sheathes their weapons and the tension in the air is released.

"Who else is here?" she asks.

"Bellamy, Monkey D. Luffy, and Eustass Kid."

In the middle of the conversation, Sanji arrives on the scene. The crowd that was anxiously waiting for a fight to break out is now gone, and nobody seems to be paying attention to Bonney anymore. Sanji immediately sees Jewelry Bonney as he passes in between her and the man called Greg through the dirt streets of the village.

Greg says to his friend, "I heard she loves food and can't get enough of it, and despite that she's still skinny as hell."

Sanji hears this, looks to Bonney, and asks her, "My fair lady, you love to eat?"

She smiles, and says, "Hell yeah!"

"Then may I cook you a meal? Later tonight, perhaps?"

"Sure, why not?" she says. She doesn't consider the fact that Sanji may be a pirate, nor does Sanji know anything about her.

Bonney will do anything for food, and Sanji will do anything to please a women. It must have been destiny to have these two cross paths. However, Bonney has other things on her mind, such as getting a new ship. During her trip up the reverse mountain to enter the Grand Line, her ship was, unfortunately, destroyed; naturally, she plans to find a new one somehow. Her main idea is to steal from Eustass Kid.

She remembers this, and tells Sanji, "Actually, I have some stuff to do, and I'm leaving this island, but thanks. Hit me up if you're in Rosine, alright?"

He nods and forgets about Bonney in a matter of hours.

 **. . .**

"What the _hell_ happened here?" asks Sanji.

The Straw Hats, along with Vivi and Kaneki, are trying to clean up their nearly demolished rental home. It had been an hour or two since the incident with Kakihura, but despite that it _still_ looks like a tornado had come rummaging through a mere minute before.

"Wind woman came back," Usopp says. "Y'know, the one you wanted to invite onboard our ship?"

"Her? She came back? Dammit, I missed it!"

"Boohoo," Zoro says jokingly. He picks up a chunk of wood that had imploded from the roof, and sets it outside the house.

"Sanji, when's dinner?" Luffy asks excitedly. He approaches Sanji, who's making his way into the house to see the rest of his crew.

"I'll have it ready in about an hour. But seriously, why don't we just find another place to stay or something?"

Nami, lying on the bottom of a bunk bed, sweating, replies, "A guy came by telling us we either have to pay for repairs or fix it ourselves."

"How much do the repairs cost, Nami-san?"

"Too much."

The entire crew, even Vivi and Kaneki, have been attempting repairs to the house since it was attacked - Vivi was initially told that she didn't have to help, but she insisted. Usopp is in charge of the repairs themselves, as he has experience with construction, and Zoro handles most of the heavy work. Everyone else simply cleans or helps one of those two. Luffy's Devil's Fruit ability comes in handy as well.

"Luffy, can you go buy some wooden planks from that store we went to earlier?" Usopp asks at one point. "We need more wood that I thought."

Luffy looks to Usopp, and stares for a moment.

"...taking the new girl and the eyepatch guy!" he exclaims.

Vivi, Luffy, and Kaneki then set off to the hardware store, but naturally, they run into an obstacle. A certain pirate is rampaging through the streets, vandalizing random buildings and taking his anger out on random people. The surrounding citizens try to stay out of his way, and the ones that don't are beaten mercilessly.

This pirate, is, of course, Eustass Kid.

"THAT SKANK! SHE PLAYED ME!" he shrieks.

"Captain, I still don't understand, how the hell did she steal our ship?!" Kid's apprentice Killer asks.

"I-I don't know! She could turn into a kid or some shit, and snuck on board! I can't even _think_ straight right now!"

A person walking by stops to stare at Kid for a moment, confused out of his mind. Kid notices this and looks back at him.

"The hell are you looking at? You want to get your face beat in?!"

The guy shakes his head and backs away, but his face is beat in moments later. Occurrences like such continue to take place until Eustass Kid bumps into Luffy later on. The three notice Kid rampaging through the streets and stay wary of his actions.

"Should we take another route?" Vivi asks. "That guy means trouble…"

"He's not a threat, we're fine," Luffy reassures her.

Luffy begins walking closer to an enraged Kid and he eventually notices him. He sees Luffy's usual grin, and for some reason this pisses him off even more.

"The hell are you smiling about, boy? Think something's funny?!"

"Nope!" Luffy replies.

"Then why are you smiling, huh?!"

"Maybe because I feel like smiling?"

Kid hesitates for a moment, considers punching Luffy, then simply slaps the straw hat off of his head and walks past him. Luffy is surprised by this, and then looks back at Kid with a glare.

 _Did he just… Hit my hat?_ Luffy thinks.

Kaneki immediately knows what's going to happen the moment Kid hits the straw hat. He knows how much it means to Luffy, though not to its full extent, but enough to know Luffy's about to start a fight.

Kid forgets about Luffy in a matter of seconds and begins terrorizing even more people. "If you don't give me your damn money I'll slice your throat, you hear me? My goddamn _ship_ just got stolen! I can't deal with this shit!" he screams at a random person.

Luffy calmly picks up his hat from the ground, and glares at Kid from across the sidewalk. Vivi notices this, and asks, "What is it? He let you go, let's just go get the wood!"

"You misunderstand," Luffy tells her as he begins to walk towards Eustass Kid. "He hit my treasure."

"YOU GIVE ME THE DAMN MONEY OR I WILL KILL YOU! MONEY, NOW!" Kid shouts.

Luffy starts walking faster towards the pirate. His expression quickly turns angry. His most cherished treasure, the straw hat given to him by his childhood hero, was just disrespected. To him, that is simply unacceptable.

"HEY!" Luffy shouts. Kid turns his head to Luffy.

"What do _you_ want?"

"You hit my hat."

"So, what? I didn't give you a beating, you should be thankful for that. What, do you have a death wish or something?"

People begin noticing Luffy standing up to Kid. "Is he serious?" one asks. "Oh, man, he's dead," says another.

 _I know Luffy's powerful, but does he even stand a chance against this guy?_ Kaneki thinks. _And why is he suddenly so hostile? I've never seen him like this…_

"Take one step closer and I will murder you and your two friends," Eustass Kid threatens Luffy. The Straw Hat pirate, unphased, continues walking towards him. He forms a fist in his right hand, and readies it for a punch.

" _You're_ going to punch _me_? This some kind of joke? Dude, this is actually kinda funny. Ha! Hit me with your best shot!"

Kid begins laughing, but he stops laughing once Luffy approaches him and strikes him across the face with all of his force, and he's sent flying across the street.

The crowd immediately goes silent as they stare at Kid, who's unable to even stand back up. A fist shape is implanted in his cheek where he was hit, and he went headfirst into a brick wall, so he's unable to think clearly as well. Eustass Kid's temper tantrum has come to an end.

Needless to say, Luffy and the other two got their wood without any further problems.

 **. . .**

As the sun begins to set on the horizon, Kaneki walks throughout the town. He stares at the horizon for the moment, as the light slowly fades away, and then adjusts his damaged eyepatch and continues walking.

 _So, Luffy's more powerful than I originally thought, and he's willing to start fights, too. Even over someone hitting his hat. He punched that guy across the face without a second thought…_

He is currently making his way to Goddrack, the bar he had started working at for the time being. He helps keep the place neat and orderly, while also serving customers sometimes. Apparently, after the last incident with Bellamy at that bar, the other two employees quit, leaving Kaneki and the old man the only workers left.

His shift starts in about thirty minutes, but he had decided to leave early to have some time by himself. _I'm already starting to get accustomed to this crazy new world,_ he thinks, strolling on the sidewalk towards his work. _I guess after my first transition to a new life, it became easier…_

He remembers his old life - before he entered this new universe, and before he became a ghoul. He was a simple college student who liked to read books in his spare time. He had a best friend, Hide, who was his _only_ friend. He longs for that life again. Kaneki has adapted to his new, ever-changing life with surprises around every corner, but despite that he just wishes to return to being a normal college student with a normal life.

 _I guess I should just make the best with what I currently have,_ he thinks.

"Kaneki!" a voice yells from behind. He quickly turns around to see Vivi, walking towards him.

"Vivi? What is it?"

"I was looking for you, but I forgot you worked here, and couldn't find you," she replies.

"Oh-um, okay, well, here I am. My shift actually doesn't start for another thirty minutes or so."

"Then why'd you leave so early?"

"Needed some me time, I guess…"

The two find a bench and take a seat to pass the time before Kaneki heads to his job. The sun is barely visible now; some people have already begun carrying lights to traverse the town.

"Where are you from, Kaneki?" Vivi randomly asks amidst the silence.

"Tokyo," he replies.

"Tokyo? Where's that at?"

 _Shit_ , he thinks.

"Uh… East Blue."

 _I can't tell her that I'm from another world… Not right now, at least…_

After a brief silence, Vivi says, "I guess I owe it to you… But I'll tell you where I'm from."

This takes Kaneki by surprise, as the way she says that makes him think she's about to tell him some kind of secret. He looks at her; Vivi's staring to the ground, seemingly reminiscing her past.

"I'm from Alabasta, a country further down the Grand Line. It… There was a rebellion there, and they overran everything. The war's still going on, but they've already killed the king and put a provisional government in place. It's really bad…"

 _Oh man,_ Kaneki thinks.

"I'm… really sorry. Do you plan on returning to your country anytime soon?"

"I don't know… I don't really know about anything right now… I've been trying to not think about it, and so far, being with you guys, I've been able to do that. It's just - I had to get it off my chest."

 _She's being totally honest with me… Wow._

"I guess," she continues, "maybe I should just make the best of it, right? I mean, there's nothing I can do about it. I can't just find a ship and sail straight towards all of the fighting. Why mope? My old life is gone, but it doesn't feel like I even have a new one yet. I've been doing nothing but hitching rides from random strangers to random islands, hoping I can find somewhere to settle down, which brings me here. With _pirates._ With you."

"Change… Change is bound to happen at some point in your life. I agree with you, why mope about it? There's no use pushing back the inevitable. Even if someone restored their old life, it would never _actually_ be the same. You just have to… accept."

Once Kaneki heads in for work, Vivi follows suit, and decides she's going to work there as well. The bar is mostly empty, with the exception of a few customers having a snack. After cleaning the place for a bit, Kaneki sits at the bar with the old man while Vivi tries to sweep underneath the booths. Naturally, the two begin talking.

"Hey, I never got your name, did I?" Kaneki asks.

"It's Racker," he replies. "Question, how did you convince the girl to get a job here?"

"It was her decision."

"Really? Hm. So, I'm guessing you'll leave once your log pose is set?"

"My what?"

"Your log pose."

"Wait, what? Oh! That! Yeah, I know what that is. Yes, I'll leave once it's set."

"I see."

"Oh yeah, weird question but do you have any 'history of the world' type books, or do you know where I could get one?"

"You want a history book?"

"Indeed, sir."

"That's right, you're new here… I'll go look in my storage, I probably have something."

The old man goes into the room behind him and into a storage room, where tons of random items surround him. He finds a half-filled bookshelf with many books he's collected over the years and grabs one titled "Government-approved History of the World Textbook".

"This is exactly what I had in mind," Kaneki says, "Thanks, Racker!"

Vivi takes a seat at the bar beside Kaneki. "I'm done for now," she tells the bartender. "At least until more customers come in."

"Fair enough," he replies. "By the way, have you two seen the new bounties? A few are in this village."

"I haven't," Kaneki says.

The old man reaches below the bar and pulls out a bundle of papers. Kaneki un-bundles them and begins looking through them. He sees many pirates with scary-looking faces, including Eustass Kid. He sees Luffy's 30 million bounty, that Vivi had not known about, and also Jewelry Bonney's. Then, a certain person he sees among the new bounties catches his attention.

He sees a bounty poster with the title "Ghoul Touka" on it, with a picture of Touka's face. Her bounty price is 15 million. Completely in shock, he stares down at her face in disbelief and terror until Vivi asks him what's wrong.

"Oh my God... " he sputters out.

He looks at the next two bounties to see Hinami with a one million bounty and Nishiki with a 23 million bounty. He grabs the three papers and stands up.

"Can I please b-be excused for a moment?" he asks.

"Uh, sure, go right ahead," Racker replies.

 _This can't be possible,_ he thinks as he exits the bar and sits down by the entrance. _They're being targeted. They're wanted!_

 _What am I supposed to do? I don't know where they are, hell, I barely know where_ _ **I**_ _am! This isn't good…_

"Kaneki, what the hell is going on?" Vivi asks from the doorway. She looks down at Kaneki's expression of terror and stands in front of him. "Do you know them?"

He doesn't respond.

 _They probably think I abandoned them or something. God, I screwed up. Back in Loguetown, I let fear take control and blindly escaped without thinking. Dammit…_

"Sorry…" he says. "I'll get back to work."

And go back to work he does, without saying a single thing for the rest of his shift.

On Thunder Island are three rookie pirates: Luffy, Bellamy, and Kid. Bonney, who already has her log pose set to the next island, left using Kid's ship by tricking him. Luffy's been there for two days, Bellamy for three, and Kid four. It takes seven days for the log pose to set its course to the next island in its respective Grand Line path.

Further down the Grand Line is the country of Alabasta, where Nefeltari Vivi is from. The World Government is getting involved with the war there, as the rebels have basically already taken over the kingdom. Vivi is the princess of this country. Her father was killed right before her eyes, and a few weeks later she's found herself far away from her homeland, making new friends and trying to adjust to her new life.

Finally, the three infamous ghouls from Loguetown are also approaching an island. They don't know what island it is, nor do they know what they'll do when they get there. They don't know the magnitude of being targeted by the World Government, either. These three will find out a lot about this world the hard way, which may come sooner than they think.

* * *

 **A/N: There certainly was a lot going on in this chapter at once. I actually made a list of things I wanted to show/happen in this chapter, and I didn't get to write all of them without this chapter feeling like a mess. Thanks for reading!**

 **Also, there's a poll on my profile regarding which story I should focus more on. Go vote!**

* * *

 **twitter: byzeldro**

 **tumblr: zeldro**

* * *

 **Review Response**

 **WanderingWatermelon:** I like it, I hope you continue this :)

Although, Sanji seems like he might be a little too lustful in this, but other than that it's good :D

Thanks, and I will tone it down. my bad.

 **RetardedLaptopUser:** I'm glad you updated, have a random review.

Vivi... NO MORE BEER FOR YOU!

Touka yelling at Nishiki is one of my favorite things.

Kaneki kicking Kidd in the face was great dude.

Stay safe, and please continue to writeeee.

HAPPY LATE NEW YEAR

Thanks for the review. Also, Is Eustass's name spelt "Kidd"? I never looked it up before I wrote him in, and now I have him named Kid. Should I change it to Kidd? 

**Kain Vixenheim:** Loved the story.

Btw, if you're still looking for a beta reader I wouldn't mind filling in. Can't guarantee I'd get to it immediately when you sent it over, I'm in my final year of 6th form so exams are looming, but I'd do my best.

I contacted you about being a beta reader but there was no response. If you're still willing to, PM me back. Thanks!

 **Guest:** this story is really good, please continue

Thanks, and I will definitely continue it.

 **DeafVaderWattpad:** it was 10 days, not a few hours, but anyway, are you going to update? I like your story

Are you talking about how long Kaneki was tortured? If so, thanks. And yes, I will continue to update this story.


	6. 5 - Confessions

**A/N: My Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has improved, summer's started, and the only exam I have left is the dreaded ACT. I managed to write a chapter in my free time after I wrote the first chapter of my new fic, Deku's Bizarre Adventure. (you should maybe kinda sorta go check that out if you want)**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Confessions**

Roronoa Zoro used to be a bounty hunter, hence his nickname "Pirate Hunter." That was how he made his money back in the day. Now, instead of hunting pirates, he _is_ a pirate. However, his nickname may give some people the wrong idea about him, and a certain pirate decides to take advantage of this.

Big-Time Rookie Bellamy was embarrassed in front of an entire bar by Zoro when he was trying to mess around with Vivi, and since then, he's wanted to get back at him. He wants to show them that he's not to be messed with. After a little digging, he found out Zoro used to be a bounty hunter, and of course, he turns this information against him.

"There's a bounty hunter in this town!" he tells some pirates passing by.

"What the hell? Who is it?"

"Roronoa Zoro. He has green hair, three swords, and wears a bandana. Spread the word!"

"Wait! I saw that guy!" another person says out of nowhere. "He's with that other rookie, Monkey D. Luffy!"

"What the hell is a _bounty hunter_ doing here?!"

"Let's go beat his ass!" yet another pirate blurts out, as more and more join in.

"No, I have a better idea," Bellamy says, quieting down all of the pirates he just infuriated. "Let's _kill 'im._ "

"Yeah! Kill him!"

"Who the hell does he think he is?! He thinks he can take down _all of us_ and have a payday? Screw him!"

"We're gonna _kill Zoro!"_

A smirk appears on Bellamy's face as he realizes he has an army of angry pirates now at his disposal. He, his crew, and the pirates allying with him, set off to start their search for the Pirate Hunter.

 **. . .**

The sun has already set. The nighttime sky looms above. An uneasy atmosphere envelops the town, and the moon is covered by the cloudy sky.

A distraught Kaneki is just now getting off work. He left in a hurry, without saying a word to neither Vivi nor Racker. Thoughts and feeling rush through his mind as guilt slowly drives him insane. Walking along the dark, tense streets of the city, this ghoul wants nothing more than some relief from his current problems. That, and sleep.

" _Luffy has a bounty too!"_ Vivi would tell him. " _Look at him, he's just fine! Your friends will be fine, I guarantee it!"_

Vivi's words of reassurance back at Goddrack didn't even register with Kaneki. He was too conflicted, too worried to put any of his thoughts together. Vivi had decided before their shift ended to leave him alone for a bit, because she understands him. She knows what it feels like to be too focused on one thing to care about anything else.

It's a natural reaction in Kaneki's mind that the situation is his own fault. He always points to himself; even if it's blaringly obvious he couldn't help something, he always finds a way to blame himself.

 _I shouldn't have let my fear take over,_ he thinks. _Back then, I blindly ran off when I found myself in this world… Not for one moment did I think about what was happening to Touka or Hinami. Not for one moment did I worry about anybody other than myself._

 _Why? Why am I like this?_

"Kaneki."

The ghoul turns around to see Nefeltari Vivi, standing a few meters behind him on the dark street. Before Kaneki can reply, she begins walking toward him.

"V-Vivi? Yes?"

She hugs him, to his surprise. Not one of those short, insincere hugs, but a tight, wholehearted one.

"I… don't know what's going on with you," she says. "I don't know how I can help, either... But, in any case, I wanted to let you know…"

She stops hugging, and looks directly into Kaneki's eyes.

"I wanted to let you know that if you ever need any cheering up, or motivation… You can talk to me… okay?"

 _Vivi?_ he thinks. _Why is she… Why is she doing this?_

 _She has problems of her own… and it's too selfish to rely on her for emotional support._

 _I appreciate the sentiment, though…_

"T-thank you…" Kaneki replies.

Vivi is very unsure about what is going through Kaneki's head. She knows that a few of his friends has bounties, but that's it. She doesn't know about his origins nor has she even read the newspaper article about the "monster infestation." Despite this, Vivi wants to let Kaneki know that she'll be there for him, but also doesn't want to pester him about it.

Kaneki believes Vivi's too kind, and that she's worrying too much about him rather than herself. He thinks that he needs not tell her about his problems, and that she probably wouldn't even believe him in the first place. The two walk the streets of the town in silence after their brief conversation.

Meanwhile, Bellamy runs into a certain someone. No, that certain someone isn't Zoro, nor Luffy.

"If it isn't Eustass Kid!" he says confidently.

"Bellamy… What the hell do _you_ want?"

On the patio of a house the Kid pirates are staying at is the two big-time rookies. There are a few wooden tables here and there, and some lamps to provide light in the darkness. Kid stands up from his seat to face Bellamy.

"I have a proposition. You see, a certain bounty hunter in this town has caused some bullshit on my part..."

"Why should I care? I've got _my_ bullshit to deal with right now."

"Like Monkey D. Luffy?" he asks in response, looking at the giant bruise on Kid's cheek.

Kid's eyes narrow.

"What are you getting at?"

"In case you didn't already know, the bounty hunter I'm referring to and Monkey D. Luffy are partners. There's a pretty big chance that bounty hunter will try to capture a lot of the pirates in this city for their bounties, including you and me. Even if you weren't after that bitch Luffy, he's still a threat."

"So what is this 'proposition'?"

"We kill the bounty hunter."

"What of Luffy?"

"If we succeed in killing the hunter, I will help you defeat him."

Kid thinks for a moment. He's tired, angry, and hurt, but is still able to listen. He realizes the opportunity he's been given, and promptly agrees to help Bellamy kill Zoro. The two shake their hands with smirks on their face.

"It's a deal, then," Bellamy says. "We carry it out this morning. Get some shuteye, and we'll meet up at that bar on the edge of town."

Kaneki and Vivi enter their still half-demolished house. The crew is passed out; it's definitely cleaner than when they left, but there's still a ton of work to do. If the Straw Hats leave without reconstructing the house, bounty hunters will be sent after them to repay the debt with either money, or their lives.

"Night, Vivi," Kaneki says, before lying down on a bed.

"Night."

Vivi looks to Kaneki before going to sleep. _What is going on with you…?_

 _I told you my problems because I was sure I could trust you… Why won't you tell me yours?_

She looks down at her bed.

 _I guess… I guess he's just not ready. We just met, yet we have a mutual understanding of each other… I'll leave him be, for now, at least._

The next morning, Nami is the first person to wake up.

On one of the top bunks, she scans her surroundings to see nothing out of the ordinary. She sees Vivi, who's still passed out, and Luffy, lying on the ground, who must've fallen off the bed.

 _It's our third day here… Four more days until the Log Pose is set. Until then… We lay low._

 _I should probably go check on Going Merry, too…_

The girl thinks of Vivi. She knows Vivi is only going to temporarily be apart of the crew, but despite that, wants to know more about her. Nami also knows she's befriended Kaneki, whom she doesn't know much about as well. Thus, Nami wakes up both Vivi and Kaneki, and tells them they're gonna go with her to check up on the ship. They both agree.

Similar to the night before, an uneasy silence is spread across the town. It's very early in the morning, with the sun just beginning to set, so naturally, most pirates of the village haven't awoken yet; the only ones awake are the ones readying to leave the island, as their Log Poses have been set, and the three Straw Hats.

"It's called the Going Merry, right?" Vivi asks.

Nami nods her head and replies, "It's technically Usopp's ship, but it pretty much belongs to the whole crew. We probably need to have one person stay the night there every night to guard it…"

"If I recall correctly, this is, indeed, our third day here?" Kaneki asks.

"Yep," Nami replies.

The three, after traversing out of the city and to the dock, see their ship amongst all of the others. From the wet, wooden, roughed-up dock, Vivi looks to the Going Merry with a smile.

 _That ship perfectly fits the Straw Hat crew,_ she thinks. _It's like it has a personality all of its own._

They hop aboard the ship and enter the main room; nothing is out of the ordinary. Nothing has been stolen, and there is no visible damage. Vivi takes a seat on one of the couches and Kaneki lies down on a hammock. Nami stands in front of the two.

"Everything seems fine here… That's good. Still worried some dumbass will come along and ruin it."

"Why were we needed here, though?" Vivi asks.

"Wanted to talk to you two, personally… Away from everyone else."

Vivi's expression changes. "About what?"

Nami sighs. She takes a seat on the couch across from Vivi and thinks for a moment.

"Well, you two are basically apart of the crew now, right? Even if you, Vivi, are only here for a bit, you both will be here for a while…"

She continues thinking.

"But, despite that," Nami continues, "it seems like I don't really know either of you. Nobody does. It feels as if you two are shrouded in mystery. If we're going to sail together, then I need to ask you both something: what are your goals?"

Since Kaneki's been mostly silent, Nami points to him first.

"Huh, Kaneki? How does being with the Straw Hats help you out in your 'grand plan for the future'?"

Kaneki looks directly upwards on the hammock he's lying on.

"I don't really have any 'grand plan,' to be honest… Simply put, I wish to find some meaning in my life…"

"What about those friends you're worried about?" Vivi asks him.

"That, too, I guess. If I end up reuniting with them, I don't know if I'll leave the crew or not… For now, at least, I'll stay, and hopefully find some answers…"

Kaneki's vague yet interesting explanation resonates with Nami. She takes it all in, then looks to Vivi with curiosity.

"Me? Well… I've already told Kaneki, but… My homeland, Alabasta, has been in a civil conflict for a bit. I'm… the princess there… and I have been wandering about for a few weeks. I guess my goal is to return to my country and help end the war, or, if that's not possible, lead a new life without regrets."

"Alabasta?" Nami asks.

"It's a desert country further down the Grand Line."

"Oh… Well… Vivi, you can stay with us as long as you like, then. How long do you plan on staying?"

Vivi looks to Kaneki.

"Originally, only a few days, but now… I really like you guys… and I think I might stay for awhile."

Kaneki heads on out to Goddrack afterwards. He sees Zoro there, as well as a few other pirates hanging out at the bar. It's entirely cleaned up now, the roof is fixed, and business has continued as usual.

"You're here early," the old bartender says as Kaneki takes a seat.

"Not here for work. Came to chill a bit before my shift starts."

"Fair enough."

Zoro peers over an Kaneki from the booth he's sitting at. Five empty cups sit in front of him; despite drinking a lot, he's not intoxicated at all. According to him, swordsmen _don't_ get intoxicated.

"Oi, Kaneki," he says.

Kaneki hesitantly turns his head to the swordsman.

"...Y-yes?"

"What did you and the other girl do at our ship earlier?"

"Nami… Woke us up and told us to follow her to the ship… She wanted to talk to us."

His eyes narrow. "About what?"

"How long we'll be staying… Stuff like that, I guess."

Zoro scoffs. "So? How long?"

"What?"

"How the hell long are you gonna stay with us?"

Kaneki, under the impression he's a nuisance to Zoro, simply replies, "I'm… Not entirely sure, whenever I find a certain someone, I guess."

"Does that certain someone happen to be in the recent newspaper?" he questions out of nowhere.

An eerie silence takes over the bar. Zoro glares at Kaneki whilst the ghoul becomes more nervous by the second. He tenses up, but after a bit the door to the bar suddenly opens to break the silence.

It's none other than Eustass Kid. He enters the bar with his crew; Bellamy follows suit with his crew as well. Racker, impervious to the savage pirates making a ruckus, looks to Kaneki. Kaneki looks back to him with a look of worry. " _Is this okay?"_ he silently mouths. Racker simply nods his head.

"So, what shall we do before we carry this out?" Bellamy asks.

"Don't care, let's just _do this shit,_ " says Kid.

"Yeah! Let's go ahead and kill Zoro!" a random pirate shouts.

 _Zoro?_ Kaneki thinks, taking a seat in a booth far away from the plethora of pirates. _They want to kill… Zoro?_

A look of anger appears on Zoro's face. He knows almost exactly what's going on. The swordsman puts on his bandana, stands up, and approaches the group of pirates. He sees Bellamy, sitting at the bar, talking amongst the others, with a confident smile on his face. The Big-Time Rookie believes he's got everything planned out, from taking care of Zoro all the way to pleasing a certain man named Doflamingo.

"Ahem," says Zoro. Bellamy ignores him at first, but eventually looks to him.

"Who'd you say you all were going to kill?" Zoro asks the pirates surrounding Bellamy.

"Why, we're gonna kill Zoro! The bounty hunter! You wanna help?" a random pirate answers.

Zoro smirks. "Hell no."

Bellamy notices Zoro, and rises from his chair and tries to strike him with his mug, but he slices it in half almost immediately. The bar quiets down and looks to the swordsman.

"Zoro…" Bellamy says under his breath. "HERE HE IS, GUYS! IT'S ZORO! KILL HIM!"

"What? _That's_ him?" Kid confusingly asks. "I thought he'd be stronger! What a disappointment."

Zoro thinks for a moment, backing away from the angry crowd. _All of these people want me dead? God damn… I don't wanna wreck this bar, so I guess I'll get outta here…_

Zoro zooms for the door, but a pirate steps before him. Zoro punches the man across the face and continues moving. Kaneki hesitantly follows suit, and directs Racker to go hide in one of the back rooms. He shakes his head no; he's eager to watch the fight go down.

Once Kaneki exits Goddrack and sees the morning sun starting to shine down on the city, he realizes Zoro is nowhere to be seen. He keeps running, though. He knows the green-haired swordsman has already thought of a plan.

"KILL ZORO!" Bellamy shouts. "FIND 'IM AND KILL 'IM!"

"Where is he, boss?" someone asks. Bellamy doesn't respond; instead, he summons his Devil's Fruit power - the Bane Bane no Mi - and hops up into the air, scanning the rooftops for Zoro. He falls back down, but immediately springs himself back upwards to continue looking out for his enemy.

Visibly frustrated, he screams, "COME OUT, ZORO! IT'S TIME FOR PAYBACK!"

"For _what?_ " a voice shouts in return. Bellamy stops hopping and begins looking around him. He can't see due to the dozens of pirates rampaging around him, though.

Abruptly, Zoro appears from a windowsill and creates a wind vortex with his swords, pushing Bellamy into an alleyway. He lands in front of the Bane Bane user and smirks.

"I woke up less than an hour ago, and see, I don't usually wake up this early. I guess I wanted to see what the early-morning life is like. Unfortunately some butthurt _douchebag_ had to ruin it, and, on top of all that, spread some bullshit about me."

He unsheathes his third sword and places it into his mouth. "This time, I ain't bailing out."

Zoro charges forward, slicing at Bellamy; he barely dodges in time by hopping into the air. Bellamy then crashes back down, trying to land on Zoro, but this time, _Zoro_ dodges. The two clash as the pirates start making their way towards them.

"Ha, there're those two fuckers! Hey, Killer, I found 'em!" Kid excitedly tells his right hand man.

Just before they go charging at Zoro, Kaneki appears in front of him with a half-determined and half-scared face. The ghoul is very nervous, but wants to help Zoro; thus, he takes a fighting stance and prepares for a battle.

"It's the dumbass!" Kid exclaims. "I remember you! Now, get outta the way or die."

"N-no!" Kaneki tells him, nervous.

"...What?"

"I said _no._ "

Kid sighs, smirks, then says, "Killer, do your thing."

Killer, Kid's right hand man, with his hockey mask and long, blond hair, immediately sprints towards Kaneki; Kaneki attempts to dodge but is struck with a scythe before he can do so. He falls to the ground in agony.

 _Ow… Ow… Man, that hurt…_

Killer targets the ghoul's neck, but Kaneki rolls over and gets back on his feet before he can do anything. Then, Killer rushes to him quickly, slicing his arms and torso until he's backed to a wooden wall. Killer's scythe is held up against Kaneki's neck for several moments.

"Any last words?" he asks.

Kid, laughing, walks up to Kaneki while the pirates are starting to overwhelm Zoro in the background.

"It's a shame, even though you were a dumbass you had guts. Before you go, I _have_ to ask: what's the story behind the eyepatch?"

Without waiting for an answer, Kid takes Kaneki's eyepatch off and throws it to the side. His question is immediately answered once he sees the red ghoul eye, thirsty for blood, glaring at him…

"That's pretty fucking disgusting," he comments. "Welp, kill 'im."

Four tentacles suddenly come out of Kaneki's body. They grab Killer by the neck and start to strangle him. The One-Eyed Ghoul stares at his eyes through the holes in his hockey mask.

 _Hungry,_ he thinks. _I'm starting to get hungry…_

 _No! I can't kill anyone!_ he thinks as he drops Killer.

Kid and the surrounding pirates look to him in awe. He looks at Kid, then to Zoro, who's constantly slicing up pirates and dodging Bellamy, then to Killer, who's on the ground, coughing.

Kaneki, knowing they've already seen his power, directs his tentacles to Kid, and they promptly wrap around his entire body. Kid is thrown into the air, and just before he hits the ground Kaneki lands a nasty kick on his torso. He writhes on the ground for a moment before attempting to get back up.

"It's… It's one of _them…_ Those new goddamned ghoul monsters…"

He rises to his feet completely and wipes the blood off of him. "Question, is that a Devil's Fruit power?"

Kaneki hesitates. "Uh… _Yes._ "

Since most of the pirates are after Zoro, that leaves Kaneki only up against Kid and some of his crew. A feeling of confidence hits Kaneki as he realizes he's fairly powerful in comparison to these guys. He takes a fighting stance once more and readies for a _real_ fight.

Kid's pirates are immediately targeted and thrown against the side walls of the alleyway and almost instantly pass out. Killer manages to dodge for a few minutes until he's struck in the head, and then falls to the ground. Kid starts to consider using his Devil's Fruit power but is grabbed once more by Kaneki's tentacles and is bashed against the ground multiple times until he can no longer speak.

Kaneki, out of breath, turns around. He sees a ton of sliced-up pirates, Bellamy, who's missing an arm, and Zoro, looking to the ghoul in confusion.

"So you _are_ one of those," he says under his breath. "A ghoul. Just like it said in the newspaper."

"I'm sorry… I had to, they were going to kill me…"

"It's not about that. You. Tell me _everything,_ right here, right now. What are you?"

"I'm from a different world!"

"...What?"

"It's true… I'm from an entirely different universe… I came here on accident. I… Come from a world filled with ghouls and such…"

"Stop making up bullshit, dammit! Tell me!"

"It's true!"

Zoro sighs. "Fine. _Don't_ tell me. Let's just get the hell outta here before these guys heal."

The two run off, and once they tell the crew about what just happened, the Straw Hats decide to leave the city and travel to another part of the island; unbeknownst to them, they will stumble upon certain people and places they'd _never_ expect to see.

Meanwhile, further down the Grand Line, a certain hijacked marine warship is approaching an island. It is snowy, mysterious, and is inhabited by a certain reindeer capable of speech; this is the island where Touka, Nishiki, and Hinami will meet said reindeer, and find out more about the _One Piece_ world. They will have a false sense of peace, as, while the government is currently focused on the Alabasta civil war, the three ghouls that hijacked a warship haven't gone unnoticed.

Alliances have been made, as well as new enemies. The Straw Hats are starting to be pursued, and, as they begin to uncover the secrets of Thunder Island, their names will begin to resonate with the World Government as well as the people around them.

Ken Kaneki will be there right alongside the Straw Hats as they rise to infamy in this new, crazy world he's found himself in.

* * *

 **A/N: For like the third time... Sorry for the wait. I _really, really_ want to post regularly, but other stuff's always in the way. Thanks for reading!**

 **((also, if you didn't already know, I posted an author's note before this chapter and deleted it when I posted this, it basically explained why I hadn't posted in about a month. to summarize it, I have a nerve problem in my wrists and a ton of end-of-the-year tests were bogging me down.))**

 **twitter: byzeldro**

 **tumblr: zeldro**

* * *

 **Review Response**

 **RetardedLaptopUser:** I'm glad you updated! :P

Bonnie could eat a whole cow and still be hungry, I want to see eating contest between her and Luffy.  
I like how this is progressing though. Bonnie stealing Kid's ship, and reading him rage is just nOICE.  
The Wind Lady is freakin' me out man, like, did they breathe some of her in? Does she smell...  
Racker seems nice, ᕕ(v)ᕗ KEEP hIM.  
And about the "Kidd or Kid" thing, the Wiki page says it's 'Kid', but people spell it both ways. Just go with the spelling you like the most.  
I'm bad at writing reviews, sorry you have to deal with this jumbled mess (and me)  
Stay safe, and keep writing!

Thank you for the review! Honestly, reviewers like you play a large role in motivating me to write, it really helps. And I looked on the wiki too, it does say Kid, but I kinda wish I spelled it Kidd because it feels weird. I wanted to have him say "Goodbye, kid" but it would've looked weird with his name being spelled the exact same way. Idk

 **Kain Vixenheim (Author's Note):** It's nice to know you haven't just dropped this story, so thanks for letting us know what's going on, I don't mind having to wait a bit longer. Good luck with your ACT thing (yeah I have no idea what that is) I hope you do well. And that your wrists are okay.

ACT is one of the two tests high school students in the U.S. take as a college entrance exam. It's extremely important, and naturally I've been stressing about it. And thanks for keeping up with the story, too!

 **DeafVaderWattpad (Author's Note):** thanks for updating on my birthday!

Happy (very) belated birthday!

 **RetardedLaptopUser (Author's Note):** I'm sorry to hear, er, read, about what has been happening with your wrists. Is there anything you can do to help with it, or is it life long? I'll go and look it up after I write this.

While I can't say "I feel you" about all the tests, I know they've gotta be pretty daunting. Especially when you're having a problem with your wrists, I hope they'll give you extra time or something. It wouldn't seem right for them not to give you extra time, or maybe even someone that could write down what you say. (they have people for that, right?)  
I hope everything goes well  
Stay safe, do your best on your tests, and keep writing!

It depends on how I take care of the problem. The period in which I didn't use the computer at all helped, and I've been taking vitamin b6 which also helps, apparently. It should be completely healed this summer, though it will probably come back in the future. CTS sucks. I didn't get any extra time on my tests but I think I'll be fine.


	7. 6 - Thunder Trek

**A/N: Yadda yadda yadda, sorry for taking so long, yadda yadda yadda.**

 **Anyway, I have a website for my stories and future projects - zeldroproductions dot weebly dot com. I post chapters earlier there and will also start posting MANGA ADAPTATIONS of my stories. Yeah. You wanna see a manga version of this story? That's where you'll find it. It won't be for a while before that happens, though, but it's in the works.**

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Thunder Trek**

On a remote island somewhere in the Grand Line is a marine.

He is alone.

He is scared.

A dense forest surrounds him; giant trees tower from above, and the snarls of creatures lurking in the shadows drown out the sound of his fast heartbeat. A lousy rifle and a Den Den Mushi - these are the only items he's carrying.

At one point, the Den Den Mushi starts ringing, and the marine nervously answers, wary of his surroundings.

"H-hello?"

"Yes. This is Vice Admiral Smoker, with whom am I speaking?"

"U-uh… Jonathan Reiss, sir."

"Can I speak to your captain?"

"I-I'm afraid not, we're currently separated…"

"What the hell? How so?"

"The three 'ghouls'... They forced us off the ship at an island… It's a jungle-island, with huge creatures… A giant attacked us not too long ago and we were separated…"

"Where are you right now?"

The marine scans his surroundings. Giant leaves and shrubs dominate the forest floor, along with very big and nasty bugs. Up from above are layers of branches, leaves, and wood; he can barely see the canopy from where he's standing. There are no predators in sight, but he's sure there's at least one stalking him.

"In the middle of the forest, I'm not sure where I am on the island, exactly."

"And you say those ghouls dropped your crew off on that island?"

"Affirmative, sir. The tall one threatened to use lethal force."

"Nishiki… The one with the largest bounty. Well, hold tight, and keep me updated with your current situation. No other Den Den Mushis would answer my calls, so let me know if everyone else is okay. I'm currently on my way to the island they're probably at… _where I'll beat them to the ground._ "

"W-what island is that, sir?"

"I'd assume they're headed for a winter island southeast of you. _Drum Island_."

 **. . .**

"So, what makes regular compasses not work, exactly?"

"I don't know, all I know is that this type is the one we're supposed to use. It's called a 'log pose.'"

"It just points to the 'next island?' Why is there a 'next island?' Why can't we just go to whatever island we want?"

"I don't know, Nishiki, okay? Can we just follow it and see if whatever island it's pointing to is safe?"

"Fine, Touka. Now go be on watch, you said that's your job, right?"

Touka exits the room and walks to the front of the ship. _It's cold,_ she thinks. _Very cold. It was hot yesterday, but now it's suddenly freezing._

"T-touka…?" a little girl's voice says from behind. Touka turns around to see Hinami.

She's got a blanket wrapped around her, and she's shaking.

"Yes, Hinami?"

"I… was wondering… when can we eat? I'm hungry…"

Touka squats down and pats her on the head.

"Soon, Hinami. Soon…"

The three ghouls, with their hijacked warship they stole, are headed towards Drum Island - just as Smoker predicted. No marines are on the ship now. It's just Touka, Nishiki, and Hinami.

The air is chilly, and a gloomy fog has enveloped the ship. Even inside the ship it's freezing, so the ghouls are constantly trying to find ways to get warmer; Touka is the one who decided to keep watch on the front deck, and naturally, she regrets that decision.

 _Once we arrive at this island… We can rest. But only for a bit. The military - namely the man Nishiki harassed over the snail phone - are coming after us._

We can fend for ourselves, though. Unless some maniac with a body made of lava comes to terrorize and kill us, we will survive.

After two more silent, cold hours, they finally arrive at Drum Island. The pier is empty, and there are no other ships harbored. There is not another soul in sight.

 _Just us,_ she thinks _;_ _the ghoul trio._

 **. . .**

"Luffy! It's Zoro! Are you here?" the swordsman yells as he bangs on the wooden door.

The door promptly opens, and out comes the captain.

"Huh? Oh, Zoro! Hey! And it's the eyepatch guy!"

"Yeah, yeah, no time for that. We _need_ to leave, _immediately_."

"Why?"

"We're being chased. We just got back from a brawl, two pirate crews attacked us. I was almost overwhelmed. They're hurt, but they should be after us soon. Tell everyone else. Go!"

Luffy storms back inside and starts announcing to his crew that some dudes are coming after them and they've gotta go. Zoro and Kaneki head inside as well, and they both start packing their things.

Vivi gives Kaneki a look of confusion.

"What's going on?"

"That spiky-haired pirate, and another one… They and their crews found Zoro in Goddrack… They were going to kill him, or something, and so Zoro went outside and started fighting them… I joined in, and we ended up winning, but they're probably going to be coming back… We need to leave."

"Kid and Bellamy?"

"Yes."

"I knew they would be problems. Where are we going?"

"Anywhere but here," Zoro interrupts. "I don't really care."

"Shit, guys! I was in the middle making new ammo. And now you've pissed off some other rookie pirates?" Usopp complains, hopping off of his recently-repaired bunk bed.

"You're wrong. They pissed _me_ off."

"Can we go kick the wind woman's ass now?" Luffy asks.

Zoro smirks, and says, "I wouldn't mind doing that."

"No!" Nami says. "I said we aren't messing with her. I also said _no fights,_ but here we are!"

"You can't blame me for this. They came after _me._ I was defending myself. If I had properly taken care of things we wouldn't be rushing to get out of here."

Nami rolls her eyes and continues packing.

"So, this means a bounty hunter will be coming after us since we didn't finish repairing the house?" Sanji asks, lighting a cigarette. "We were either supposed to do _that_ , or pay for the damages."

"I guess we'll have to worry about that later," Nami replies.

"What?! A bounty hunter?! Why?" Usopp questions.

"Because we didn't pay for what that asshole wind woman did, and we didn't finish repairing either," Zoro answers. "I don't think he'll be a threat though."

"I don't know, Zoro… What if he's as powerful as _you_? You were a bounty hunter, right?"

"Stop worrying, there are other things to worry about. I cut off Bellamy's arm, and he already wanted to kill me before then so _now_ how do you think he feels? He probably wants all of us _dead_."

Usopp noticeably tenses up.

The Straw Hats rush out of the house in no time, and head towards the Going Merry. Nami, the current holder of the Log Pose, claims she doesn't want to risk the log getting messed up by going back out to sea, and instead assigns Usopp to stay and ride around the island and stop at the next harbor. Just before the Straw Hats start travelling, Kaneki stops them.

"I-I forgot to do something!" he says.

The crew looks to him questioningly.

"It's important… It'll only take a second, please."

"What is it, Kaneki?" Vivi asks him.

"Goddrack."

Vivi nods her head, and he begins running in the opposite direction. He runs as fast as he can; he _has_ to let Racker know he's leaving. He feels bad for having to leave him, too. He and Vivi were the only employees left after everyone quit when Bellamy terrorized the bar. Leaving without a word would be a terrible thing to do.

He enters the town. The one-eyed ghoul, wearing his worn-down eyepatch, tries to avoid the pirates in the town. Some instantly recognize him and begin pursuit. Some run away in fear, thinking he'll kill them with his "tentacles." He is now known throughout the town, as is Zoro and the rest of the Straw Hats.

Goddrack comes into view. He rushes inside to see the old man standing behind the bar; instantly, he begins explaining everything.

"...a-and Zoro cut off his arm, he injured most of his crew, while I had to hold my ground against the other captain, b-but now they're g-gonna come after us and I have to go! I have to go."

Racker gives him a smile.

"Then go."

"W-what about your bar?"

"It's all good."

"Vivi is going too, is it j-just you working here now?" Kaneki quickly asks, stumbling over his words.

"Don't worry about it. If you're in danger, just go! You're a traveller, right? This should be second nature for you."

Kaneki thinks for a moment, and then says, "Bye, Racker."

He runs back to his crew, and they begin their trek across Thunder Island.

The northernmost island of the Grand Line's first islands it is; out of the many paths one can take through the first half of the sea, it is considered to be the most dangerous. Some rookies overestimate their abilities and try to go that way to "harden" themselves.

One of the main reasons the northern path is so dangerous is because all of the pirates trying to prove themselves as tough go that route and clash with other pirates, causing endless conflict. Kid and Bellamy are prime examples of these pirates. Bellamy is going this route to meet a certain man later down its path, and Kid wants to let the world know how strong he is. It has been this way for so long that many have forgotten what made the northern path the most dangerous in the first place.

This brings us to the Straw Hats, another pirate crew taking the northern path. They have begun travelling across the land, away from the pirates that are supposedly now pursuing them. If they can quietly explore the island until the log pose is set, all should be good… right?

I guess we'll find out.

"Do we not have a map?" Zoro asks.

"No, we don't," Nami answers. "Once we find another village, we need to buy one, okay?"

"I've been wanting to do this since I got here. Why the hell have we waited so long?" Luffy questions.

Zoro says, "It's because of that Kaki-wind girl that tore up our house, remember? We had to stay to clean up that bitch's mess."

Sanji winces at him. "Cool it, mosshead."

"What?"

"You shouldn't talk about a woman that way. Don't use that word."

Zoro rolls his eyes.

"Shut up, Sanji."

Lightning strikes down from above as they move toward the island's center. Nami is subconsciously leading the group towards the lightning, wanting to investigate; she is starting to believe it's somehow artificial lightning. _Whoever the "god" is that people refer to on this island… he must be doing something,_ she thinks. _What is his goal, though? What is he trying to accomplish?_

 _So many mysteries…_

A silent Kaneki is continually dragging behind the group. A lot is on his mind, and rightfully so. Tagging along with a group of pirates he met merely days before, he isn't sure what to expect anymore. He's had to meet new people and leave them almost instantly, as is with Racker. He starts to wonder if he even needs to bother getting to know the Straw Hats.

He convinces himself it _is_ worth it, though, as letting things off your chest to people you know can be very helpful with stress. Even if it's for a little bit… If he can have a legitimate human relationship with anyone, he'll take it. At the same time, he's still reluctant to get _too_ comfortable with anyone other than Touka or Hide, the latter who is still back in his old universe. He's already spilled the beans to Zoro, and other pirates know he's a ghoul, so it's not off to a great start. But maybe… Just maybe… He'll be able to erase his past, and move forward without anything coming back to haunt him.

For the umpteenth time he ponders over how he even got to this universe in the first place.

He knows it had something to do with him, and that he caused it, but how, exactly, he did it, he's completely unsure of. After being tortured for so long, something just… broke inside of him, and suddenly a black hole-like portal formed, and a ton of people were sucked into it.

This reminds him of the ghoul hunters. The man that was torturing him is still out there. Many of his enemies are still out there. Nishiki and Hinami are out there, too, and they must be with Touka. Hopefully, at least.

 _There's already too many things to worry about,_ he thinks, trying to catch up with the group. _No sense in adding even more to that list._

 _They could've been apprehended back in that town where we arrived… It's a good thing Touka and the others escaped at the very least. I know they're out there somewhere..._

Through the dense fog, occasional rain, thick grass, and fluctuating temperatures, the crew stays strong in their travels. They see the Going Merry passing by them at one point, and wave to Usopp; after setting up the ship, he began to bring it to the nearest dock, and once he does so, he'll regroup with the Straw Hats.

Before any of them know it the group comes across yet another town. It is a fishing-oriented town, and Usopp docked the boat there; the military there is plentiful. It seems a bit more lively than the "pirate-friendly town" they were at before, and a little less eerie. Still, it's more dangerous for them, because the so-called "lightning military" are hell-bent on stopping conflict as soon as possible, even if it means apprehending innocent people just for looking at them a certain way.

Before walking into town, Usopp returns out of nowhere.

"Oiiii! Guys! I'm back!" he shouts.

The guards looks to him questioningly.

"I docked the ship pretty close to here, and there weren't any freaky people around, so I think we're good."

The crew passes underneath the overarching gate into the town, and they're immediately greeted by its tense atmosphere and stares from almost everybody in view. Instantly, the pirates become uncomfortable, and rush inside somewhere.

The roads in the town are actually paved, and the a decent amount of the buildings are made from brick or stone, unlike the "pirate village" where everything was made of run-down wood. It's nicer in almost every way…

...unless you consider the armed guards standing on every corner.

The citizens have a constant look of worry on their faces. Like someone's out to get them. They act super-anxious around guards, and the Straw Hats notice this before entering a random store to escape the tension; however, they realize there _is_ no escape once they see even more lightning military in the convenience store.

Racks of random, arbitrary items dominate most of the shop; from weapons, to food, to reading glasses. Usopp sees some goggles he likes, and picks them up to check them out.

"Hey! You there! Do not steal those!" a guard shouts.

Usopp, startled, drops the goggles onto the ground, and the glass of one of the lenses breaks. The guard suddenly has a furious face, and begins pacing over to Usopp.

"Come with me," he sternly says, grabbing him by the arm.

He starts to pull Usopp to the exit but Sanji suddenly appears and forces his hand of off Usopp. He gives the guard a glare.

"He broke it because you surprised him. He can pay for it, though, it's no biggie. There's no problem here."

"This does not involve you."

"It does, actually."

Sanji pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, throws it on the floor, and steps on it, smearing it into the carpet below him. He then looks back at the guard with a laid-back face.

The guard then attempts to grab Sanji's arm, but Sanji sidesteps. The guard almost falls over.

"Sanji, stop harassing the poor man!" Nami tells him as she passes by. "Hurry up and buy what you need for cooking, alright?"

"Yes, my lady," he replies, beginning to turn around.

Then, another guard appears in front of Sanji.

"Are you resisting arrest?" he asks.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Interfering with another arrest grants _you_ one too, blondly. C'mon. You know the drill, right?"

The other guard places his hand on Sanji's shoulder.

"Lightning chair for two hours. It seems like you haven't had it yet."

"The hell are you talking about? Get your nasty hand off of me!"

Sanji slaps the guard's hand away and steps backward. Usopp nervously watches from the background as the guards start walking toward Sanji in a very calm manner, like they'd done this a thousand times.

"Three hours," a guard says.

Sanji keeps backing away.

"Four hours."

Sanji backs up and accidentally hits Zoro.

"The hell you doing?" he asks. "Stop messing with the police, moron."

"Five hours! You're just racking it up! It only takes, like, three hours for people to start begging to die. Can you last that long?"

Sanji backs up to the very back of the store. Two guards are standing in front of him, telling him he's subject to five or more hours in some kind of torture-device electric chair.

Naturally, he kicks one on the face and punches the other one. They start yelling, and Sanji darts for the door.

"They wouldn't stop pestering me!" he starts explaining to Nami. "We gotta go!"

"CODE 102!" a guard shouts into a Den Den Mushi.

Within seconds, ten more guards, all in the same "lightning uniform," start crowding the entrance of the store. Unlike the ones inside, these guys have a taser device. One tries to taze Sanji, but the cook responds by promptly kicking him in the gut, sending him into the other guards instantly. Luffy arrives on the scene, confused, but ready to fight anyway. He takes out the rest of the guards with his rubber arm, forcing them to the other side of the street, and then, the rest of the crew arrives.

"So, anybody wanna say what the _hell_ just happened?" Nami asks.

Usopp answers, "Th-the guards freaked out because I dropped something, t-then Sanji stopped them, they threatened to torture him or something, then, well, this happened."

"Sounds about right," she replies.

"We must get out of here," Vivi says. "I was here not too long ago… The military here are very strict and brutal."

"Then why didn't you say something?" Zoro asks, bluntly.

"Cool it, mosshead," Sanji says.

Kaneki, as usual, doesn't really chime in on the conversation but instead immediately accepts the fact that the entire town's military are after them.

After fighting their way through hordes of lightning guards, the crew make it out of the city, tired and worn-down. They are officially recognized as threats to the island's government, and within a few hours of the incident, certain hunters are sent after them to collect their heads.

 **. . .**

The travel continues. After being pursued by the lightning military, the Straw Hats walk along the edge of the island as Usopp steers the ship next to them. The clouds are dark, and there is a peculiar lightning storm to the left of them. One that piques Nami's interest.

"Oi, Usopp, keep riding that ship around the island and park it at the nearest dock. We're gonna go check out this part of the island, aight?"

Usopp nods, and they part ways.

"Ooo! We're gonna check out the thunderstorm?" Luffy questions.

Nami gazes at the storm from the edge of the island. The ground beneath it is blocked off by trees and wooden structures, only adding to her curiousity.

She then looks to Luffy.

"Yep."

Above the most central part of Thunder Island is a big, dark cloud. It looks very out of place; even when it's not raining in any other part of the island, that same cloud is still there, constantly bringing down thunder and lightning. Surrounding the area are very tall trees, brick walls, and other random wooden structures. The Straw Hats make out a guard tower out in the distance, and suddenly wish they sent someone else to ride the ship so Usopp could take them out.

After moving closer to the guard tower, the guard notices them and immediately takes aim.

He knows not of the Straw Hats, and that they're wanted throughout the island; still, he's been ordered to fire on anyone he deems suspiciously close to the middle of the island. So, he fires his rifle, and almost instantly it hits Luffy. Then, the bullet promptly bounces off of Luffy's rubber skin, and strikes the guard in the chest.

"Nice, Luffy," Zoro says, smirking.

"Totally meant to do that!" Luffy exclaims.

The crew raids the tower. They take the guard's gun, and decide to give it to Kaneki.

At this point they're very close to the middle of the island. Nami knows _something's_ in there…

But she just doesn't know _what._

She thinks, _Could it be used to power something? If so, what? This island naturally has a lot of thunderstorms, so why does it need even more?_

While trekking through the forest, and sneaking her way around guard towers with the Straw Hats, Vivi starts thinking of her situation once again. She keeps eyeing Kaneki, who's quieter than usual; he's always seemed as if something was on his mind, though, but today he seems… _off._

 _I wonder what the endgame is…_ She thinks. _For me, at least._

 _Am I going to find my way back to Alabasta? Defeat the rebels with the help of the government?_

 _Or am I going to abandon all of that and stay with these guys?_

 _Dragon… the man leading the rebellion in my homeland… whenever he's involved, I heard, nothing ever goes well._

 _I forgot how I even ended up on this island. I know I hitched a ride on some ships, but I can't remember the specifics. I was probably drunk for the majority of the time._

 _I've been clean these past few days though, so hopefully it won't become a problem again._

 _With these guys… it feels like I don't even_ _ **have**_ _any problems. Like there is no giant war going on where I live - or where I used to live. I love it._

 _Being a princess wasn't… that bad, but… I feel more free out here. Exploring the unknown. Getting into trouble. Constantly being on the move._

 _It's refreshing._

Vivi is taken out of her thoughts by Nami, as she points out to the front of the group.

"We're here."

A dome-like structure stands before the group of pirates. A lightning rod is extending from the dome, and from the clouds above, each and every lightning bolt strikes that rod. The electric power, with each strike, seeps down into the dome.

 _Is that what it's powering?_ Nami thinks.

The dome is surrounded by many layers of walls and security, as there are many, many guards and guard towers, so they cannot get very close. The crew hides behind a large tree to avoid being caught.

Nami spots a certain white figure approaching the entrance of the dome.

"Kakihura," she says. "Wind Woman."

"Can I kick her ass?" Luffy asks.

"I'd be willing to, but not with all of this security they've got," Zoro replies.

Sanji looks to Zoro. "You aren't kicking her ass at all! Neither are you!"

"I think I've heard of this place," Vivi says. "What was it called? Hmmm…"

"Oh! Right. The 'thunderdome.'"

Out in the distance, Kakihura starts to open the door inside the dome, but something else catches her attention.

A guard standing to the left of the entrance is asleep in a chair.

"Ooo, he's dead," Sanji comments.

" _What do you think you're doing?"_ the woman's voice echoes through the wind.

The guard awakens, and starts to panic. Luffy and Zoro are taken aback for some reason.

" _Are you asleep while guarding the thunderdome? You do know that God is almost done with his ship, and he's coming here right now? Do you know what he would've done to you?"_

"Is that…" Zoro starts.

"COBY!" Luffy shouts.

The guard and Kakihura look to Luffy, running toward the thunderdome.

"Coby! It's Luffy! Get out of there, she's evil!"

The guard is none other than Coby, the small pink-haired boy Luffy and Zoro met very early in their adventures. About twenty guns are aimed at Luffy and begin firing; naturally, they don't phase him, but when they bounce off it creates a havoc. The Straw Hats start sprinting away, calling to Luffy to come on.

" _What an unwise group of delinquents…"_ a voice echoes through the air.

The pirates aren't pursued once they reach the edge of the forest.

"That didn't work out," Zoro says, as everyone else is out of breath.

Kaneki falls to the ground in exhaustion. Zoro looks down at him and scoffs.

"Where to now?" Zoro asks.

"Another town, I guess," Nami replies. "One with less military. Not quite like that pirate town, but definitely not like the last one we visited."

After some rest the pirates start travelling once more - this time, in an unknown direction. The sky above them is blue once more, and the sun hangs overhead.

 _Once we find a town we can buy a map, which will help us with our next course of action. We'll send half of us to go find Usopp and have him bring the ship closer to wherever we are, and then, maybe, just maybe, we'll have at least a day of no trouble._

 _That last part is unlikely, though,_ Nami thinks.

Zoro looks to Luffy as they continuously walk through the lush grass, away from the forest behind them.

"What the hell was Coby doing there?" Zoro asks.

"I don't know! He's working for that wind woman, I know. But is he being forced to, or something?"

"Maybe. In any case, we have to come back here…"

"And do what?" Sanji asks.

"Rescue Coby. And, if these lightning-bastards keep causing us trouble, we can take them out at their main base."

"Who the hell's Coby?"

"This boy Luffy and I met. We don't know how he got here… but it can't be good."

"Fair enough, I guess. These guys _are_ annoying…"

 **. . .**

"New rule: If somebody's going out, they have to bring at least _one_ person with them. No loners," Nami explains.

"Fine," Zoro says, standing up from the bed. "We still don't know how safe this town is. When are we going to find Usopp?"

"We can send a few people out tonight. It's still daytime, but it's getting pretty close to dark."

"Dibs on going to find Usopp!" Luffy says.

The Straw Hats have found another town; it is one that is exactly what they wanted. Not filled with murder-hungry pirates, but also not overtaken by military. It's somewhere in the middle.

Naturally, Kaneki says, "I'm going out," just a few minutes after arriving at the new room they're staying in.

"Where?" Nami asks.

"Just to walk around, I guess."

"Who's going with you?"

Vivi's face perks up for a moment, ready to volunteer, but Zoro steps in before her.

"I'll go," he says.

And so the two go outside and begin walking. Kaneki would rather be alone, but hey, he'll take whatever he can get. Zoro doesn't really like him anyway, so they weren't going to talk _that_ much, right?

Wrong.

"Where are we _actually_ going?" he asks.

"What?"

"Where were you going to go if I hadn't come along? Something _else_ you're hiding?"

"No! No. I promise, no. It's just, there's a lot on my mind, and I just wanted to walk around. Maybe find a bookstore. I swear."

"What's on your mind?"

"Everything," he replies, sighing.

They walk along the stone road, passing by merchants trying to sell items and people running about with their friends. It's a very lively town. There aren't many pirates, but the ones that _are_ there aren't causing havoc.

The two take a seat on a bench in an alleyway.

"Tell me everything," Zoro says.

"If I do, you'll say I'm lying."

"Then tell me the truth."

"I did back then, and I will now. I'm an open book. I'll start from the beginning…"

"This _isn't_ storytime, eyepatch. Just tell me why you're here with us and what you want."

"In order for you to understand, you _have_ to listen… okay?"

"Fine."

"So… I was in a coffee shop one day, with my good friend. There was this girl sitting at another table - a very beautiful girl, one I couldn't take my eyes off of. Not only that, but she was reading a book by an author that I loved."

"Where the hell is this going?"

"Just keep listening. I work up the courage to ask her out at one point, and we go on a date - it was a good date indeed. When we were walking home after the date, she asked if I could walk with her into a dark alley she had to go through to get home, because she was scared… Naturally, I did. Then, _it_ happened…"

"What happened?"

"She was a ghoul."

"Like you?"

"Not back then. There were these monsters we called ghouls that solely ate human flesh, and sometimes coffee. She ended up being one, and she tried to kill me, but I ended up surviving and was put into the hospital. I was dying, though. The ghoul ended up severely injured as well, on the verge of death, and since we had the same blood type some of her organs were transferred into my body."

"You serious?"

"...Yes. That's how I ended up becoming a ghoul. I was… scared. Everything tasted weird. I suddenly wanted to eat other humans. I found a group of ghouls that took me in as their own, ghouls that didn't harm humans but instead feasted off of suicide victims. I stayed there for a while - it ended up being the coffee shop I was originally at. I started working there, too, but as life went on we made enemies. Lots of them. I got entangled with very shady people. At one point, I was kidnapped, and was being endlessly tortured…"

"This is here? In this world?"

"Just listen. As I was being tortured, something… broke inside of me. I was utterly destroyed by the pain that I… let something out of me. Somehow, some way, I created a black hole, and I was sucked into it along with my friends, who were trying to rescue me, and my tormenter and his allies… I woke back up in that town, Loguetown. Then… I met you guys."

"Is that it?"

"Yes."

"Holy hell, kid. Are you expecting me to believe all of that?"

"Not really."

"What are your goals?"

"To find my friends, and make sense of all of this."

"You're from - what, a different planet?"

"I don't know. I just know I'm far away from my home…"

 _It feels really good to get it all out,_ Kaneki thinks. _All of it, off my chest._

In the midst of thought Kaneki hears a woman's screams at the end of the dark alleyway. He stands up, and sees three men surrounding her, backing her into the wall. Without thought, he runs toward them and instantly starts punching and kicking them - not using his powers, though. The men aren't affected much by Kaneki but are distracted enough to let the woman get away. One punches Kaneki, and another kicks him to the ground, but Zoro steps in, slicing them with ease. He looks down to the white-haired ghoul.

"You were pulling your punches."

He helps Kaneki get up, and asks, "You wanna go to a bar or something?"

"...Yeah, that'd be great."

The woman hugs Kaneki and gives him some of her extra beli, saying he saved her life. She then disappears. The two find a bar, sit down, and begin talking about life.

Zoro doesn't exactly trust Kaneki. After all, he's shrouded in mystery, even after telling his backstory. Still, it's one step in the right direction for him, but Zoro thinks he should tell the entire crew if he's not lying.

As the day comes to an end and the sun disappears from the sky, a certain pirate enters a bar on another part of the island.

"You!" he shouts. "Where are they?"

"What do you mean?" the bartender asks. "Who?"

"Luffy and his crew. The Straw Hats. The white-haired freak worked here, right? Where is he?" Kid asks.

"I don't know."

Bellamy enters from behind. He now only has one arm.

"I'm going to kill Zoro. Where are they, Racker? Tell us!"

"If I could tell you, I would, but I don't know. Kaneki came in earlier this morning telling me he's going to travel the island. He did not say where."

"Shit," Kid says. "Well, boys," he starts saying to his pirate crew, still injured from Zoro.

"We're going after the Straw Hats. And we're gonna kill each and every one of them. You and your crew in, Bellamy?"

Bellamy smirks. "Hell yeah."

* * *

 **A/N: Longer chapter. I liked this chapter. It got quite a lot done. Thanks for reading.**

* * *

twitter: byzeldro

website: zeldroproductions dot weebly dot com

* * *

 **Review Responses will be combined with next chapter's.**


	8. 7 - Paced Pursuit

**A/N: So, I'm planning to create a manga adaptation of one of my other fics, To Hyrule and Back Again. It might start Summer 2018, but I don't know. It's coming, though. Anyway, here's a new chapter. Straw Hats are beginning to spiral into quite some conflict.**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: Paced Pursuit**

" _Did you see that group of pirates?"_

"Y-yes! I did, ma'am!"

" _It seemed like one of them knew you - the one with the straw hat. Do you know anything about that?"_

"I m-may have met him before… B-but I didn't like him! I don't like pirates!"

" _Well, Coby, that's good. It'd be bad to be even more useless than you already are. If something like this happens again, judgement will be passed from God - and you know what that means."_

The woman dressed in white continues walking to the entrance of the giant Thunderdome; lightning is constantly striking down from above, but each bolt hits the lightning rod at the top. Energy seeks its way down a metal pole and into the ground below.

 _I hate the lightning military,_ Kakihura thinks. _They are useless. I have to do everything myself when God isn't here. Bounty hunters have been sent after them, but they can't do a thing._

 _I will take care of the Straw Hats myself, but not right now - God's ship is almost done. I must support him as he begins to achieve his dream._

A certain figure appears from behind Kakihura. She turns around and a look of bliss appears on her face.

" _Sweetie, you're back already?"_ she asks the large figure.

 **. . .**

"Sometimes… I wonder why so many people are born and die on the same island, living there their whole lives, without once travelling to another island."

"Why's that, my lady?"

"When I was in Alabasta… being a princess, and all… I always thought about visiting new places. I loved going to new towns, and the concept of travelling from island to island intrigued me. I never acted on that intrigue, though, because I had duties."

"A princess _does_ have a decent amount of work… Do you want any tea, Vivi?"

"Yes, thank you."

The blond cook stands up from the table and starts boiling water on the stove. Vivi continues talking.

"It's just… it felt so mysterious, but not in the way that makes you hesitant. Going to new islands, new cities, and whatnot. Meeting new people. Learning new customs and cultures. I remember one time when we travelled to another island for some World Government thing, and I was really little, and I remember being so excited… Being on a ship, seeing a new, non-desert island… I loved it."

"I can see what you mean," Sanji says, pouring the water into a teapot.

"I honestly can't imagine staying in the same place all your life by choice. If I could, I'd visit every island in the world."

"Lucky for you, you're with us."

"Exactly… Even with all of the conflict going on in Alabasta, I can actually… enjoy myself, even if just a little bit."

Sanji, after finishing the tea, sits back down with Vivi and pours her a cup. The moonlight shines through the window, and onto the two pirates.

Vivi takes a sip.

"Do you like it?" Sanji asks.

Vivi nods, and asks, "When are Nami and Luffy going to be back?"

"Not sure. Depends on how far Usopp is. They're probably going to have the ship put closer to this town, but I don't know."

"What about Kaneki and Zoro?"

"Those two weirdos? Who knows, ha! Knowing Zoro, they're probably at a bar or something."

In a certain bar down the street are Zoro and Kaneki. The swordsman has had a few beers already, but Kaneki has only sipped his - _naturally_. The bar's fairly crowded, and is enveloped with a lively atmosphere, as almost each and every booth is filled with excited people planning to stay there the entire night. After a tense conversation, this puts the one-eyed ghoul at ease.

"What town is this?" Kaneki asks.

Zoro finishes his fourth mug and plants it onto the bar. "Pompur City."

"Ah… I like this place. Don't you?"

Zoro grunts, followed by an unenthusiastic nod.

Kaneki looks down and thinks for a moment.

"So… Do you believe me?"

"Already said - I don't know."

"In any case, thanks for listening… It felt good to get it off my chest."

"Yeah… I guess I should tell you I still don't trust you, explanation or not."

"...that makes sense."

"In any case," Zoro continues, "don't worry too much about 'proving yourself' or anything. If you have good intentions, my, as well as the crew's, trust in you will develop with time. If you have bad intentions, you can make yourself a wild guess what happens when one of us finds out. Just don't be an idiot."

"...understood."

"Attempting to steal our ship wasn't the best first impression either. _That_ was a dumbass thing to do right there…"

 _It really was,_ Kaneki thinks. _My first instinct was not only to abandon my friends, but to steal someone's ship. Again, I only had regard for myself…_

 _I can't do that._

Zoro, though having downed quite some alcohol, is very alert and sober. The only difference is that he talks quite a bit slower than normal; other than that, beer barely affects the swordsman.

"Yeah… I'm still very sorry about that…"

"I bet you are," Zoro replies, signalling to the bartender for another round.

 _I won't make another blunder,_ Kaneki thinks. _I'll do what I have to to get by, but… not without regard to those around me._

"Did you hear?" someone asks aloud.

Kaneki turns his head in curiosity to see a group of people sitting in a booth as one begins talking.

"What?" another responds.

"The bounty hunters. You didn't hear?"

"Huh? The hell are you on about now, Jon?"

"They're comin'! Three hunters are a-comin' to this here island. Not just your run-of-the-mill bastards lookin' for extra money, but the pros - they're on their way to Thunder!"

"Who are they after?"

"Some dipshit pirates who managed to piss off everyone at once. I thought it was Kid and his crew of misfits at first, but it's not."

"That ought be interesting," another person chimes in.

"When is their arrival?"

"Well, depends on where they live. I mean, nobody would call hunters from some faraway island, so probably not too far away. So, a few days at the latest, I guess."

"That's the Grand Line for ya! Always something crazy goin' on. Right, lads? To the Grand Line!"

"Aye!" they all shout, tipping their drinks against each other's, and laughing amongst themselves.

"Heh," Kaneki says, turning back around. "Pretty crazy stuff happens in this part of the ocean, right?"

He looks to Zoro, who's suddenly in deep thought, and isn't responding. He clutches his drink so hard the glass almost shatters, then looks Kaneki directly in his eye.

"Ask the bartender for your check, Kaneki. We have to go."

"Huh? Why?"

" _We're those dipshit pirates._ "

 **. . .**

"You know, this coffee is a lot better than I expected," she says.

"Yeah, I guess. I really liked that one kind I always drank, though."

"Yeah… I miss Anteiku coffee. Still, I'm glad this place even _had_ coffee to begin with."

 _Drum Island,_ she thinks.

 _The coldest place I've ever been. Even with layers upon layers of clothing… I'm freezing._

Touka finishes the rest of her drink and digs into her pocket to see if she has any more cash - "beli," she's found out it's called. There was a decent amount on the warship the ghouls had captured, enough to last them for some time.

After searching endlessly for any kind of civilization on the island, the group had finally found a village; they were able to stock up on the essentials, as well as some nice clothing. And, luckily, they found a coffee shop - naturally, that's where they're spending the majority of their time.

They had "parked" their ship at the southernmost point - I say "parked," but in reality, the ship crashed on the edge of the island, but no significant damage was inflicted. Still, it'll probably take a large amount of work to get the ship back to sea.

Touka, Nishiki, and Hinami - these ghouls have no earthly idea of their next course of action, but right now, they're at ease.

That's probably because their bounty posters haven't spread throughout all of Drum Island yet.

"This drink ain't gonna replace a meal, though," Nishiki says. "You know that, right, Touka?"

"Yeah, yeah. We can figure all of that out later."

"Later? We'll be dead 'later' if we keep this up."

The door to the shop opens suddenly, and a large man enters. He approaches the counter, and the barista asks him if he wants the usual - he nods. Then, he sees the ghoul trio, sitting in a booth off to the right of him.

"Those are some faces I haven't seen before," he remarks. "You lot just passing through?"

"Yes," Touka answers.

"Ah."

The man grabs his coffee and pulls up a chair to the edge of their booth.

"Hi, my name's Dalton, how are you guys this morning?"

"Hungry," Nishiki responds. "Coffee's pretty good, though."

"Yeah, I feel ya. There's been something of a shortage recently. You guys headed somewhere, or travelling just because?"

"Just because," Touka says.

"Ah, really?"

"Yes, we have no real… destination, even though I wouldn't mind settling down for the time being."

Kaneki suddenly appears in Touka's mind.

"We are, however, looking for a certain _someone…_ "

"What are y'all's names?" Dalton asks.

Almost instinctively, Touka creates fake names on the spot, responding with, "I'm Janet, he's Clark, and this here girl is Mary."

"Well, Janet, Clark, and Mary, nice to meet all of you."

Nishiki notices Dalton's large amount of weapons on his body. Daggers in his green coat, a blade on his back, and dual pistols on his side.

"You a guard or something?" he asks, eyeing the sword.

"Bounty hunter."

"Nice," he replies, interested. "You independent?"

"Somewhat. I've got a couple of contracts, but I'll take what I can get."

"You going somewhere today?"

"Yep, actually, I am. I'm headed west to collect a debt of sorts. Hopefully it won't become violent, but who knows. I don't really like doing this kind of work, but recently, this island has been in a not-so-good state, and there's good money with this job - a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, right?"

Nishiki smirks. "Right."

 **. . .**

" _KANEKI! MAKE THE PORTAL! NOW! WE HAVE TO GO!"_ an unfamiliar voice echoes through the ghoul's mind as he sleeps.

Suddenly, he awakens.

 _Day 4,_ he thinks.

Silence overwhelms the empty room, which prompts him to quickly get out of bed. Noticing the bounty posters in the corner of his eye, he grabs Touka's off the shelf, enters the main room, and begins brewing coffee.

He takes a seat on the balcony as the town gradually awakens. Citizens head in for work, the morning joggers begin their run, and the sun is just now beginning to rise above the surface. Peaceful, but not for Kaneki. He's as tense as ever.

As he looks at the poster, he thinks, _I don't know where you are, Touka. I don't have any earthly idea of how I could ever find you._

 _But I will, and that's a promise. No matter what… I'll find you, and make sense of all this._

Vivi enters, holding a cup of coffee. She sits down by Kaneki.

"Good morning," she says.

"Morning, Vivi."

She takes a sip and watches over the city. "I didn't know you could make coffee so well, Kaneki," she says.

She looks over to see him staring at Touka's poster.

"She's your good friend, I suppose?" she asks.

Kaneki nods.

"You said you were from an island called 'Tokyo'... Are you and her both from there?"

Kaneki nods, but hesitantly.

"I assume you all ventured out from your homeland, but ended up getting caught up in some bad business… Would you rather be back at home right now?"

"...I guess."

"Are you two childhood friends?"

"Eh… I-I… Not really…"

Vivi notices Kaneki's unwillingness to talk and stops asking him questions. The two just sit there, as the sun continues rising, and as the streets begin to fill with people. She thinks about where the Straw Hats are headed next, and he thinks about what Touka's reaction would be like once they met again.

"You don't have to tell me anything right now, Kaneki… but one day - promise you'll tell me one day, okay?"

He doesn't respond.

"That aside," she start, "we have some problems as you spoke of last night, right? The bounty hunters?"

"What of them?"

"It's just… we already have to deal with so much other stuff, it just feels like problems on top of problems. Kid and Bellamy might still be after us. Kakihura could return at any time. The entire town's military is looking for us. I don't doubt we'll make it through until the log pose sets, but… I've just never felt this."

"Feels like the whole world's after us," Kaneki says.

"The whole _world?_ I wouldn't go _that_ far..."

"No?"

"Definitely. The world's a big place, Kaneki."

"I know," he replies.

"Do you? I know you're from a small East Blue island, so I don't think you know the full scope of what the 'entire world' is."

"Really?"

"Yes… if the _world_ was after us, as you said, there _would be no_ Thunder Island."

 **. . .**

 _ **the night before**_

"Here's the deal, kiddos," Eustass Kid begins talking as he lays down a map on a large table.

"Those Straw Hat motherfuckers? They're long gone by now. Not off of the island, but far away from here. We are _here_ ," he says, pointing to their location on the map, "and the Straw Hats ran _this_ way."

"They're cowards!" a pirate says from the crowd standing before Kid and Bellamy. They're in a shack, one they forcibly took from a random family; half of the crew is still injured, and Bellamy is still very sore from his arm being sliced off.

"You, sir, are correct. They ran away like the pussies they are."

"And we're gonna fucking _destroy them,_ " Bellamy chimes in.

"I've come up with a plan, of sorts… It's simple, yet effective."

He continues, "A few men will go to each of the major cities on this island. Every group will be given a Den Den Mushi - you will search out the Straw Hats, and relay back to me if you encounter them. Other groups will also travel to the more remote parts of the island. Meanwhile, I, along with Bellamy, Killer, and a few of y'all will be near the center of the island - not too close to that 'thunderdome,' though."

"What will happen when a Straw Hat is seen?" someone asks.

"Once we get the message, everyone will be called to that location immediately. The people who are already in that city will keep an eye on them until we get there - and _when_ we get there, you all know what happens next."

The pirates start smirking and snickering - they get excited for Kid's plan. That evening, they head out to their assigned spots with their assigned groups, and their scheme commences.

 _ **current day**_

Inside the Thunderdome is the wind woman herself - Kakihura.

 _I'm not entirely sure what to do… I believe God has his plan handled well, without needing any help…_

 _Still, it feels like I should be helping._

The curved ceiling hangs overhead, and a metal pillar stands in the center. Lightning constantly seeps down the pillar. It is a grand building, one which may constitute a mansion - it is not used as such, though. There are only a few rooms one could call a "bedroom," or any kind of regular household room, for that matter. Most of its space is used for the strange lightning schemes Kakihura and the 'God' person have going on.

That 'God' person enters the room and sees Kakihura.

"Two days," he says.

" _Until the ship is ready?"_

"Until we are to arrive."

" _I see. Have we enough power to reach the archipelago?"_

"Yes. Is there something you should be doing right now?"

She tenses up.

" _I-I'm not entirely sure. What did you have in mind?"_

"I recall you mentioning certain people causing problems on the island, and that you'd take care of it."

" _Ah, that. I can easily do that."_

"Then _do it_."

Just outside of the Thunderdome are Kid and Killer. Kid had previously wanted to stay away from the dome, but his curiosity and ego just couldn't keep him away. The two are able to hear everything Kakihura and the 'God' figure are saying.

"Weird shit going on in there," Kid says. Killer nods his head.

" _I assure you it will be complete before the time comes. Do not worry. My skill will not allow such nuisances to stay on this island."_

"You say that, and yet there are two people outside listening to us."

She tenses up again, as does Kid and Killer. The two pirates immediately stand up and begin making their way away from the dome, past the guard towers, trees, and lightning rods.

"See, this is how you take care of problems," he says.

From above Kid and Killer, loud crackling erupts in the clouds, and after a few seconds, a giant bolt of lightning strikes downward and demolishes everything near it. The two pirates are sent flying outwards, immediately passing out.

The man smirks. "You say you have skill, woman? False. _I_ have skill."

 **. . .**

Approaching Pompur City are Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp. They had gone to check in on the ship; Sanji was left to guard it for the day.

"Are we staying in this city tonight?" Usopp asks.

"If all goes well until evening," replies Nami. "Stay wary, though."

They're all on their toes; they know they're being hunted by multiple people. Usopp, naturally, is the tensest. He can't stop looking over his shoulder.

"The first goddamn island on the Grand Line and we've managed to piss off almost everyone we come in contact with," Usopp remarks.

Zoro snickers. "Yep, that's about right."

"I think more people have pissed _me_ off," Luffy says.

"That's probably because you get pissed off easily," Nami replies. "And you only resolve your disputes with your fists."

"It's the only way!"

"Not on the Grand Line!" Nami argues. "Not here. Maybe at your old home island or whatever, but you can't just threaten everyone who simply looks at you the wrong way!"

"Are you forgetting the fact that Zoro sliced a dude's arm off?" Usopp asks.

"Deserved it," Zoro says.

"Damn! You did, Zoro?" Luffy exclaims. "Wish I was there. It was that Bellamy guy, right? Definitely deserved it! Ha!"

"Is that one of the reasons why those assholes are coming after us?" Nami asks.

"No, they already were," Zoro answers.

"Hm. And Luffy! Promise me this," Nami starts. "No more threatening! No more telling people you're gonna kick their ass. Defend yourself? Of course. But for Christ's sake, no more jumping the gun!"

"Fine," he says.

Not a few minutes later, whilst walking about the city, Luffy notices something.

There's a man on the sidewalk, staring directly at Luffy. He's holding a Den Den Mushi. Luffy stops for a moment, and then he moves toward him in suspicion.

"It's him, it's Straw Hat… their captain… yes, he's with the swordsman… he's looking at me."

"You say something?" Luffy asks the man, approaching him. The man tries to back away but is cornered against a wall.

"Are you stalking me or something?"

"N-no?"

"Am I that famous _already?!_ " he says with excitement.

"Who is that?" the Den Den Mushi says aloud. "Is that Luffy?"

Luffy grabs the snail telephone from the man and begins speaking into it.

"Yo! Hello? This is Monkey D. Luffy, future Pirate King, who is this?"

"Eustass Kid."

"You?! Are you stalking me with your goons?"

"I believe that's none of your concern."

"Yeah, it _is_! The hell do you want?"

"Payback, dipshit. Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"Depends, is it hard to spell?"

"Shut your goddamn mouth, moron. I'd suggest you make preparations."

"And why is that?" Luffy asks in response as his crew finally finds him after he had wandered off.

"'Cuz I'm comin'."

"Look! You're talking all this shit, but you haven't done a single thing! I'm gonna whoop your ass real good, got it? Do you understand?!"

"We'll see about that, _Straw Hat_."

Nami approaches Luffy as the man storms off with his Den Den Mushi. Luffy, in an agitated state, initially ignores Nami.

"Luffy! Luffy! What the hell just happened?!"

"Gonna kick his ass, and I'm gonna do it tomorrow," he says to himself.

"Luffy! Listen to me!"

"Yeah?"

"Did you just do specifically what I told you not to do?"

"He totally did," Zoro says, smiling.

Nami sighs.

"Should've expected this. In any case, it's time to get the _hell_ out of here."

 **. . .**

"Luffy and the others should be on their way back by now," Vivi says.

Kaneki gazes at the sky as it gradually gets darker.

"Yeah."

"You've been on this balcony all day, don't you wanna go somewhere? It's a nice city."

"That'd be pretty good… What place did you have in mind?"

"Eh, I don't know. We could look around until we found something."

"True," Kaneki replies.

"Do you wanna get something to eat? Or maybe just a drink? Or we could go shopping," she suggests.

"Drink sounds good, I guess."

"Let's go, then! Come on! Before it gets dark."

Kaneki starts to get out of his seat, but abruptly sits back down and is overwhelmed with sudden goosebumps. Vivi looks to him in confusion as a look of bewilderment appears on his face.

"You okay? Kaneki?"

"Uh-yeah, I think."

"What's wrong?"

"Kakihura," he sputters out.

"What? What about her?"

"I don't know… It might just be me, but… _Kakihura…_ she's coming," he says, staring blankly into the sky. "I can't describe it, but I can _feel_ it… Kakihura's coming for us."

"Is that so?" she asks, curious, yet hesitant to believe him.

* * *

 **A/N: Problems on top of problems. Definitely more of a buildup chapter, but still a tense one. Lots of events being teased, as well as future fights.**

 **With 3 days left on Thunder Island, will the Straw Hats be able to make it to Rosine Archipelago alive?  
**

 **Hopefully.**

 **twitter: byzeldro**

* * *

 _ **PREVIEW FOR The Straw Hat Ghoul 8 "Rupture" WILL BE POSTED TO TWITTER SOON:**_ **byzeldro**

* * *

 **Review Response**

 **RetardedLaptopUser:** -It said I couldn't review but it was a new chap y'know? so I just did this... I feel kinda weird and stalker-y doing this oo-

I'm glad to read that your wrists are getting better! (sends vitamin B6 in truckloads)  
While I may not be completely sure as to what ACT's are, I'm just gonna take a gander and say they're an end of the year test. Either way, I wish you luck!  
Kaneki should talk to Vivi some more, although now that his secret is out I do hope he'll talk to her. Or she might be somewhat mad, I dunno. Zoro and Kaneki could probably make a good tag team. If they can get along a bit better...  
I wonder if Killer or Kidd are even gonna bother with them anymore, er- Kaneki anyway.  
Getting choked by a kagune probably wasn't on their to-do list...  
Also, R.I.P.: Bellamy's arm, and all the other pirates.  
enJOy my horribly structured review *3*  
Stay safe, good luck with ACT, and keep writing!  
RetardedLaptopUser

At this point, it's healed quite a bit, but it can still be annoying sometimes. Thanks for your review, too, I always appreciate it. Kaneki _should_ talk to Vivi, but whether or not he _will_ is a different story. Zoro and Kaneki's relationship is... weird. Kid and his gang probably won't leave the Straw Hats alone for a _while_.

 **Leafeon12:** Great chapter I can't wait until your next one! XD

Thank you! I appreciate it.

 **Greer123:** Great chapter. I like how Zoro interact with Kaneki.

Thank you! And Zoro & Kaneki's relationship is one I look forward to developing

 **MarsDragon3180:** Where's kaneki's stone cold attitude

I wouldn't call him 'stone cold,' but he's still bad at socializing. 


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